Tibet earthquake survivors at risk of hypothermia in sub-zero temperatures

Chinese officials have stated that over 400 people have been rescued and more than 30,000 residents have been relocated following a powerful earthquake in the Himalayan foothills. The search and rescue efforts have entered their second day, with rescuers still working diligently to find survivors.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck on Tuesday, was centered in Dingri County in China's Tibet region, about 80 kilometers north of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, making it one of the strongest earthquakes in the region in recent years. The earthquake also impacted neighboring Nepal, Bhutan, and India, causing buildings to shake in multiple locations.

Twenty-four hours after the earthquake, survivors trapped under the rubble have endured a night of sub-zero temperatures, facing risks of hypothermia and dehydration. Sangji Dangzhi, the owner of a supermarket in Dingri County, told AFP that his supermarket had suffered severe damage. "The houses here are built with mud, so when the earthquake struck... many houses collapsed."

According to Chinese state media, citing local officials late Tuesday, initial investigations revealed that 3,609 houses were destroyed in the Shigatse region of Tibet, an area inhabited by 800,000 people. More than 500 personnel and 106 ambulances have been dispatched to assist the injured. China Central Television reported that at least 126 people are known to have died and 188 were injured in Tibet. No deaths have been reported in Nepal or other areas.

The situation for the homeless is made more difficult by the fact that temperatures in the high-altitude region drop to -18 degrees Celsius at night. By late Tuesday, tents, food rations, generators, and other supplies had been delivered to the scene, and all roads damaged by the earthquake had been reopened. The earthquake struck near one of Tibet's most sacred cities. The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, expressed his deep sadness and offered prayers for the victims. “I am deeply saddened to learn of this destructive earthquake…which has resulted in the unfortunate loss of many lives, injuries, and widespread damage to homes and properties,” the exiled leader said in a statement.

Southwestern China, Nepal, and northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, which are pushing up the Tibetan Plateau, once an ocean. The entire plateau, as well as its eastern and northern edges, are in seismically active zones, overlapping with the Chinese provinces and regions of Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai. Beijing governs Tibet as an autonomous region of China and rejects criticism from human rights groups and exiles who accuse Beijing of trampling on the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.

The China Earthquake Networks Center stated that more than 500 aftershocks occurred after the earthquake, with the highest magnitude reaching 4.4. According to the Sichuan Provincial Earthquake Administration, 29 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher have occurred within 200 kilometers of Tuesday's earthquake epicenter in the past five years. In 2008, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Chengdu, Sichuan, killed at least 70,000 people, making it China's deadliest earthquake since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 242,000 people. Tuesday’s earthquake is the most severe since the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in a remote part of northwestern China in 2023, which killed at least 149 people.