A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday morning, toppling thousands of rural houses on the northern slope of the Himalayas.
The earthquake struck at 9:05 a.m. (Beijing Time), with the epicenter located in Tsogo Township, Dingri County, in the city of Xigaze. There are 27 villages and approximately 6,900 people within a 20-km radius of the epicenter.
A preliminary survey shows 3,609 houses have collapsed, said the city government of Xigaze, adding that 407 trapped people have been rescued and over 30,000 affected residents have been relocated.
The search for trapped victims is ongoing. Rescuers are also racing against time to set up tents for relocated residents in an area where temperatures are forecast to drop to minus 17 degrees Celsius.
In Tsogo Township at the epicenter and the worst-hit Chamco Township, Xinhua correspondents saw many toppled houses and residents staying in open spaces for safety.
"The first shock wave struck before dawn, and it made lights and furniture shake," said 49-year-old Pasang Tsering, a villager from Metog Village in Tsogo. "Then came a second and stronger one, so I dashed outside immediately," he recounted to Xinhua.
"I've never seen an earthquake this big before," another villager named Pasang said while clearing house debris. "We're now most concerned with where to spend the night. The village has some spare tents, and officials said more are on the way."
Tsering Phuntsog, Party chief of Gurum Village in Chamco, lost his 74-year-old mother, and several other family members remained buried in debris. The village with 222 residents reported 22 deaths, including 11 children, he said, adding that all the houses in the village were damaged.
"Even young people couldn't run out of the houses when the earthquake hit, let alone old people and children," said Tsering Phuntsog.
Editor: CH
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