Residents of a village in Maru township of Drachen county, Xizang autonomous region, receive relief supplies on Friday. Drachen was struck by a magnitude 7 earthquake late on Thursday. TENZIN NYIDA/XINHUA
President Xi Jinping has urged all-out search and rescue efforts for the missing and prompt medical treatment for the injured, in order to minimize casualties after a magnitude 7 earthquake rocked Drachen county in Nagchu, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.
The quake, which struck at 10:33 pm on Thursday at a depth of 10 kilometers, killed 16 people, injured at least 76, and damaged or flattened 339 houses, with search for survivors continuing on Friday.
In an instruction issued on Friday morning, Xi noted that the affected county is at a high altitude with low temperatures, emphasizing the need to closely monitor seismic activity and weather conditions to prevent secondary disasters.
It is imperative to dispatch emergency rescue supplies, properly accommodate the affected residents, and repair damaged infrastructure as quickly as possible to safeguard people's lives and property, Xi said.
In a separate instruction, Premier Li Qiang called for swift assessment of the situation. Given the county's high altitude and the frequent aftershocks, Li urged the Ministry of Emergency Management and the China Earthquake Administration, together with relevant authorities, to strengthen seismic monitoring and forecasting, and step up disaster prevention and response efforts.
An image captured by a drone on Friday shows the relief tents set up in Maru. PURBU TSERING/XINHUA
Surveillance footage shared by local media showed buildings shaking violently as the temblor struck, with goods falling off shelves and residents rushing outdoors. In Maru township, one of the hardest-hit areas in Drachen, the ground cracked open and sections of a road sank, China Central Television reported.
China's national comprehensive fire and rescue force has dispatched 350 personnel and 83 vehicles to support operations in the quake-hit areas. The national earthquake emergency response was upgraded on Friday to Level III — the third highest in China's four-tier system — while a separate Level III national natural disaster relief response was also activated.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp has deployed satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles to aid rescue efforts. The corporation said it is coordinating resources at its disposal to facilitate emergency communication and support imaging of the quake-hit areas.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management have jointly allocated 50 million yuan ($7.5 million) to support rescue and relief operations, while the National Development and Reform Commission has earmarked an additional 30 million yuan from the central budget to help restore damaged infrastructure and public service facilities.
The Red Cross Society of China has allocated 3,800 units of relief supplies, including hygiene kits, heating stoves and cotton tents, along with 50 sets of emergency toilets.
On the ground, rescue teams have been working relentlessly. In Gangchen township, one of the areas closest to the epicenter, rescuers launched a door-to-door search in the early hours of Friday. In Maru, a resident trapped in a damaged house was rescued around 2:20 am by firefighters who arrived from Drachen.
On Friday afternoon, Nagchu Mayor Dondrub said at an on-site news briefing that emergency relief supplies from central and local authorities were being promptly delivered to the affected county.
He said that 18 temporary resettlement sites have been set up, providing displaced residents with warm shelter, food, clothing, clean drinking water and medical care. A total of 12,489 people have been relocated, he added.
Fire and rescue personnel set up temporary shelters in Maru on Friday. TENZIN NYIDA/XINHUA
Power supply and communication networks are being restored gradually in the hardest-hit areas. All 628 mobile base stations, which were knocked offline by the earthquake, were restored by 10:30 am on Friday, according to the Xizang Communications Administration.
Meng Linghe, Party chief of Drachen, said the quake-hit areas have an average elevation of nearly 4,800 meters, which means temperatures plummet after dusk. In addition to the freezing weather, the possibility of secondary disasters, such as landslides, poses grave risks, he said.
As scattered snow showers are expected in the coming days, with ice and snow likely to cover high-altitude road sections, Meng urged rescue teams to remain alert and exercise caution when transporting personnel and supplies to the affected areas.
Meanwhile, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit Zadoi county in neighboring Qinghai province at 10:14 pm on Friday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 km, with its epicenter located around 20 km from the epicenter of the Drachen temblor.
