Lassa - Saba:
Chinese authorities on Wednesday said 126 people were killed and 188 others were injured after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Xichang Autonomous Region in the southwest of the country on Tuesday morning, leading to the collapse of thousands of rural homes on the northern slope of the Himalayas.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, the earthquake occurred at 9:05 am (Beijing time), and its epicenter was in the town of Tsuguo in Dingri County in Shigatse City. There are 27 villages and about 6,900 people within a radius of 20 km from the epicenter of the earthquake.
A preliminary survey showed 3,609 houses had collapsed, the Shigatse city government said, adding that 407 trapped people had been rescued and more than 30,000 affected residents had been relocated.
The search for trapped victims is ongoing, with rescuers racing to set up tents for relocated residents in an area where temperatures are expected to plunge to minus 17 degrees Celsius.
China's response to strong earthquakes is typically marked by massive mobilization, with the national, provincial and local governments deploying rescuers and providing funds to residents in quake-hit areas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives and minimize losses. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing also led a team to the quake site to direct rescue and relief efforts.
The Chinese central authorities have sent about 22,000 disaster relief supplies to the earthquake-hit area, including cotton tents, winter coats, blankets, and folding beds, as well as relief supplies for high-altitude and extremely cold areas.
The emergency response level for the earthquake that struck Xichang has been raised to level one, the highest emergency response level, the regional emergency management command center announced today.
The region has also deployed more than 12,000 rescuers, including firefighters, soldiers, police officers, and professional rescuers, to the earthquake site.
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