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A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Tibet in China

A strong earthquake has rocked the Tibetan plateau in China, killing at least 67 people and leaving many others trapped in collapsed mud-built homes.

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Tibet in China

A strong earthquake has rocked the Tibetan plateau in China, killing at least 67 people and leaving many others trapped in collapsed mud-built homes. The magnitude 6.9 tremor shook the town of Yushu in northwestern Qinghai province this morning and was followed by a series of large aftershocks that destroyed low-rise brick and mud buildings in the Tibetan county. Troops stationed nearby were already digging with their bare hands through the rubble in search of survivors, state television showed. They were hampered by a lack of equipment in the rural prefecture. Additional rescue teams were already en route to the remote county in mountains near the border between Qinghai and Tibet.

One Tibetan woman told The Times she was rushing to the town after hearing that her mother had been crushed to death when her home collapsed. “It’s really hard to reach anyone by telephone and I must hurry to help.” Residents fled their homes of mud and wood as the first tremor struck. Karsum Nyima, the county’s head of news, said: “In a flash, the houses went down. It was a terrible earthquake. In a small park, there is a Buddhist tower and the top of the tower fell off.” He said: “Everybody is out on the streets, standing in front of their houses, trying to find their family members.”

Another local official said: “The injured are everywhere in the street, a lot of people are bleeding from head wounds.” More than 85 percent of houses had collapsed near the epicentre, he said. Part of a vocational school had toppled and many students were trapped inside as rescuers scrabbled to reach them. The official said: “There is a big crack in the Yushu Hotel, the four-storey meeting hall of the prefecture government has collapsed.”

One Tibetan in contact with relatives in Yushu said: “Casualties are unclear. Maybe dozens were injured, maybe more. It’s hard to say. The homes are built with thick walls and are strong, but if they collapsed they could hurt many people inside.” Resident Talen Tashi told Reuters: “Certainly there have been people hurt. Rescuers are trying to pull them out. A lot of one-storey houses have collapsed. Taller buildings have held up, but there are big cracks in them.”

Another Tibetan said he managed to get a call through to a friend who said damage was widespread and one Tibetan girl in his office had been killed. However, rescue efforts were being hampered by poor communications. One resident said: “Children and teachers are outside in the playgrounds. The Qinghai military will airdrop food and supplies. No one dares to go back inside because of the aftershocks.”



Author: Jane Macartney


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