BEIJING — The death toll from Tibet’s devastating earthquake has now risen, with China nearly doubling its estimate of the number of people injured. As rescuers continued their search for survivors in the remote Tingri county, nestled at the base of the Himalayas, hopes for finding survivors are rapidly fading.
The state-backed Global Times reported that the magnitude 6.8 earthquake has now left 337 people injured, a significant increase from the 188 reported earlier this week. The death toll remains at 126, but the number of missing individuals is yet to be confirmed. With each passing hour, experts caution that those trapped under debris are unlikely to survive, particularly as frigid nighttime temperatures plummet as low as -15°C, excluding the wind chill.
Since the quake struck, the region has experienced more than 1,600 aftershocks, complicating rescue operations and further hampering efforts to relocate over 47,000 displaced people to temporary shelters.
In an effort to coordinate relief efforts, Tibet Daily, the official state-run newspaper, ran a headline reading, “Make sure no one is left behind!” It highlighted the rapid response of China’s Communist Party officials, with the top regional leader, Wang Junzheng, arriving in the affected areas within 30 minutes of the quake’s occurrence.
In Tibet’s worst disaster in years, authorities are grappling with the immense task of rescuing those still trapped, recovering bodies, and providing shelter for the tens of thousands who have been displaced.
Wang visited the hardest-hit villages at the quake’s epicenter in Tingri County, where he received emotional tributes from local elders, who greeted him according to Tibetan customs, holding his hands and touching his forehead as they shed tears.
Many local leaders, including Tibetan officials, have joined the rescue efforts, despite the destruction of their own homes. The Xinhua news agency reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with top officials to organize disaster relief, stressing the urgency of both immediate recovery and long-term rebuilding efforts.
In addition to providing temporary shelters, authorities are also focused on securing sustainable housing and ensuring an ongoing supply of necessities for the displaced population. The government has already dispatched 743,000 tonnes of essential supplies, including food and medical aid, with an additional 2,000 tonnes of frozen pork and 1,600 tonnes of frozen beef and mutton ready for distribution.
