Tibet earthquake: Search for survivors called off as thousands moved to shelters

In a massive rescue operation, authorities have moved over 45,000 people to safety in earthquake-hit Tibet, as the search for survivors has been called off in the difficult terrain where the chances of survival are thin.

The powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Tibet’s Tingri County in the early hours of Jan 7 with tremors felt as far as Nepal, parts of India, and Bhutan.

Chinese officials said that they have ended the search for survivors and have shifted the focus on rebuilding and rehabilitation of the displaced and treating the injured. They pulled out 407 people from under the rubble.

According to experts, those trapped under the rubble would have succumbed to hypothermia 48 hours after the quake, as the temperatures are at a chilling -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit).

More than 3,600 houses were destroyed around Tingri while the impact of the earthquake shook buildings in neighboring countries like Nepal and India.

As per the initial tally reported by the Chinese state media, at least 126 people have been killed and almost 200 injured.

The rescue workers are focusing on 27 villages within a 20-km radius of the epicenter, reported state-run news agency Xinhua.

The rescuers had a challenging task to carry out search operations as the average elevation of the earthquake-hit region is over 4,000 meters.

The post-disaster response in China has been swift as 11,000 rescuers were deployed to the quake zone within hours of the first tremors. As per media reports, there have been more than 1,000 aftershocks.

Approximately 46,500 people affected by the earthquake have been transferred to 187 resettlement sites in towns surrounding the epicenter in Tingri, state media said.

However, the number of missing people has not been declared yet.

Meanwhile, the recent temblor has led to a northward compression of the Indian plate, as per data provided by the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

A United States Geological Survey analysis said the earthquake was so strong that part of the terrain around the epicentre slipped as much as 1.6 meters (5 feet 3 inches) over a distance of 80 km (50 miles).

The plate, which collided with the Eurasian plate about 50 million years ago, continues to move 5 cm (1.97 inches) northeast each year.