Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A fresh earthquake of magnitude 4.5 hit China’s Tibet Autonomous Region in the early hours of Friday, according to India’s National Center for Seismology. The tremors originated at a depth of 10 km, it said.
This comes roughly 30 hours after a strong 7-magnitude earthquake rattled Tibet on Thursday, October 22, and claimed at least 16 lives. Besides the fatalities, the earlier quake reportedly left 76 people injured.
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Hundreds of homes also collapsed due to the tremors, leaving a trail of destruction, according to China’s state media. The powerful earthquake struck Nagqu, a city north of Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.
According to authorities, at least 339 homes collapsed. Officials expressed concern over further building collapses due to aftershocks and warned of possible casualties from rockslides.
The earthquake was the strongest to hit China since January 2024.
RESCUERS SCAN HOMES FOR SURVIVORS
More than 300 police officers, including traffic and community police personnel, were rushed to Nagqu to carry out rescue and emergency relief work, the Nagqu police department said in a post on messaging app WeChat.
Officers checked for damage to homes and helped people relocate to safer locations, it added.
The wider emergency response included 5,000 people, the Associated Press said in a report.
At least 12,000 people were safely relocated, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua reported.
It further said that communication in some of the impacted areas was down. Local railway authorities took emergency measures to halt the passage of trains through the region.
A total of 413 aftershocks were recorded, news agency Reuters reported, citing a post by the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The geography and low temperatures complicated search and rescue efforts, according to officials. Meanwhile, intermittent snowfall was forecast in the region over a three-day period.
Relief supplies sent to the region included 2,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,400 tents and 2,000 folding beds. Flashlights and winter clothing were also sent.
In 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake jolted Yushu in Tibet’s neighbouring Qinghai province, killing at least 2,698 people and leaving nearly 300 others missing.
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(With inputs from agencies)
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
