At least 126 victims from the 6.8 earthquake. The Dalai Lama’s pain
The Roof of the world began to tremble with extreme violence again. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook a good part of the Himalayas starting from Tibet, the vast region of western China, this morning, causing at least 126 deaths and around 200 injuries, of which around thirty are in serious conditions, according to the toll released in late evening by Beijing state media.
While the rescue operations in search of the numerous missing people trapped under the rubble continue, despite the temperatures having slipped below zero, in line with the “total efforts” requested by President Xi Jinping “to save lives and minimize casualties”, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The main earthquake, recorded at 9.05 local time (2.05 in Italy) and of magnitude 7.1 according to the US Geological Survey, had its epicenter in the remote plateau near the border with Nepal and Bhutan, in the county of Tingri, reported China Earthquake Networks Center, and was also felt in India. The region is sparsely populated, but small villages are nestled in the hard-to-reach Himalayan valleys.
Rescue teams, including the Chinese Air Force, have joined the operation, state broadcaster CCTV said, in an area where around 6,900 people are estimated to live in 27 towns within 20 kilometers of the epicentre. . The closest city is the holy city of Shigatse, 800 thousand inhabitants, about 180 km away: it is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the spiritual figure of Tibetan Buddhism second only to the Dalai Lama. Who, from his Indian exile, expressed pain and said he was “deeply saddened” for the victims, offering “prayers for those who lost their lives” and extending “best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those who were injured” .
Several messages of solidarity from international leaders sent to Xi, including that of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella who wanted to express “the most sincere condolences of the Italian people and the expressions of my personal feelings of condolence”, as well as closeness “to the mourning of friend of the Chinese people and, in particular, to the pain of the families of those who lost their lives”.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin also remarked that Russia “shares China’s pain” over the earthquake that struck Tibet. Videos posted on Mandarin social media showed bare-handed digging through rubble, damaged roofs, shop windows and debris piled up on streets, and hundreds of homes in remote areas built using traditional methods of bricks, stones and wooden beams that have collapsed or crumbled.
With the average altitude of 4,500 meters, Tingri County hosts a base camp for climbing the planet’s peak, Mount Everest: the local tourist office has closed the entrance to one of the most popular scenic areas. Winter is not the most popular season, but many Chinese tourists visit the area to admire the breathtaking views of the Himalayas.
In Nepal’s Solukhumbu district, just across the border from the epicenter county of China, the tremors brought to mind the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the capital Kathmandu in 2015, killing around 9,000 people and injuring thousands. Tibet, referred to by the Mandarin name of Xizang by the Beijing authorities for several years, remains among the most secretive and politically sensitive regions of China and access to foreign visitors is still limited. The central government has kept a tight grip on the region after the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, tightening its grip in recent years.
ANSA Agency Earthquake in Tibet similar to those typical of the Apennines – Terra e Poli – Ansa.it Carlo Doglioni (Ingv): ‘It is due to the expansion of the fault’ (ANSA) 