BEIJING (Agencies): A total of 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured as of 3 pm Tuesday, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County in the city of Xigaze in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time), Xinhua reported.
The epicenter was monitored at 28.5 degrees north latitude and 87.45 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 10 km, according to a report issued by the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The local government of Xigaze held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, which began with a moment of silence for the victims.
The Global Times learned from the Xizang Military Command’s Xigaze Military Sub-command that rescue teams have been mobilized to head toward the epicenter. Videos from the scene show significant damage to the roads leading to the epicenter, and buildings along the route showing varying levels of damage. The sub-command is rapidly deploying personnel to the affected area to participate in rescue efforts.
As of 11:25 am Tuesday, a regiment of 160 personnel from the sub-command has reached Jijiao Bridge in Dinggye county, while a company of 40 personnel has been dispatched to areas near Dingri Airport.
The Global Times also learned from the Xizang Military Command that at 1:00 pm, the General Hospital affiliated to the Command dispatched 50 medical personnel to the earthquake-stricken area in Xigaze.
By 1:15 pm, the second batch of rescue forces from the Xigaze Military Sub-command, totaling over 680 personnel, had been deployed to three directions — Dingri, Lazi, and Sa’gya—to assist in the rescue efforts in nearby towns and villages, working tirelessly to protect people’s lives and property.
Video footage from the scene showed a regiment from the Xigaze Military Sub-command rescuing a child from the rubble and providing emergency medical assistance.
The Global Times learned from the Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) Force Xizang Contingent that following the earthquake, they responded swiftly and urgently. As of 12:30 pm on Tuesday, 389 officers and soldiers had been dispatched, carrying with them various rescue equipment. They rushed to the severely affected areas to participate in rescue operations. Videos from the scene show that they have successfully rescued multiple individuals from the collapsed buildings. Currently, the rescue efforts are still ongoing.
The air force of the PLA Western Theater Command quickly activated its emergency disaster relief plan and dispatched a drone to assess the situation at the epicenter. At the same time, multiple transport aircraft, medical planes, helicopters, and ground forces from the Western Theater Command Air Force have been assembled and are on standby, according to Xinhua.
At around 2 pm on Tuesday, the air force of the PLA Western Theater Command dispatched a Y-20 aircraft sending the forward command post of the Western Theater Command to the disaster-stricken area in Dingri. The aircraft has taken off from a military airfield in Chengdu, and will arrive at airport in Dingri this afternoon, according to the PLA media China Bugle.
China’s National Disaster Reduction Commission and the Ministry of Emergency Management have activated the national level-IV emergency response for disaster relief. A total of 22,000 items of disaster relief supplies, including cotton tents, cotton coats, cotton quilts, foldable beds, and special relief materials for high-altitude, cold regions, have been deployed to the affected area, to support local efforts in aiding the affected population, Xinhua cited information from the Ministry of Emergency Management.
Xu Xiwei, deputy director of the Institute of Geology at the China Earthquake Administration, told the Global Times that as of Tuesday noon, a total of 49 aftershocks have been recorded by Xu’s institute, including 33 aftershocks below magnitude 3.0 and 16 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or higher. The largest aftershock recorded so far was magnitude 4.4. The likelihood of significant aftershocks is relatively low, but aftershocks around magnitude 5.0 cannot be ruled out.