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A woman with her child walks past collapsed buildings in Gedar Township of Damxung County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 6, 2008. At least nine people were killed in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that jolted Damxung County near Lhasa at 4:30 p.m. Monday, the rescue headquarters confirmed early Tuesday morning.(Xinhua Photo/Purbu
Zhaxi)
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LHASA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were
killed in a strong earthquake that jolted a county near Lhasa, capital of
southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on Monday, the rescue headquarters
confirmed early Tuesday morning.
The previous "at least 30" death toll was inaccurate
due to unauthoritative sources and needs further check.
Rescuers arrived at Yangyi Village, the worst-hit
site in Gedar Township of Damxung County, late Monday night after repairing the
road once paralyzed in the 6.6-magnitude tremor.
At least 147 houses in Yangyi and villages in a
neighboring county collapsed. Rescuers recovered nine bodies from the debris,
and 11 people were seriously injured while eight others received light injuries,
Hao Peng, deputy chairman of the autonomous regional government and head of the
rescue command, told Xinhua.
More than 600 soldiers, police officers,
firefighters, traffic, medical and geological experts were rushing to the quake
zone.
Food, drinking water, tents and other materials had
been transported to the area. Rescue operation was underway. The injured were
being sent to local hospitals.
An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale
jolted Damxung,82 km from Lhasa, at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The epicenter was at 29.8
degrees north and 90.3 degrees east.
Tremors were felt in Lhasa, but no major damages were
found in buildings or historical sites there, including the famed Potala Palace
and the Jokhang Temple.
"We examined every palace and building right after
the quake and no damages were found," said Jamba Gesang, head of the management
department of the Potala Palace.
The Jokhang Temple kept hosting visitors as all
constructions were unaffected in the tremor.
Key cultural relics also stayed intact, as the sites
were far from the epicenter, said Yu Dawa, chief of the cultural heritage bureau
of Tibet.
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A local farmer checks the damaged building in Gedar Township of Damxung County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 6, 2008. At least nine people were killed in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that jolted Damxung County near Lhasa at 4:30 p.m. Monday, the rescue headquarters confirmed early Tuesday morning.(Xinhua Photo/Purbu Zhaxi)
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The famous Bargor Street was as bustling as usual.
The Qinghai-Tibet railway and Lhasa airport remained
in normal services.
"The downtown area of Lhasa is relatively safe and
there is no need to be panic," Zhu Quan, head of the local seismological bureau,
told Xinhua.
More aftershocks may hit Damxung but would not cause
damages to buildings in the downtown area, Zhu said.
The quake was measured at level VIII on the 12-level
MMI (modified mercalli intensity) scale in the epicenter and it was felt at
level V in Lhasa, Zhu said at a press conference.
The MMI scale measures the intensity of an earthquake
from its perceptible effects with level V indicating it could be felt by
everyone and could break windows. At level VIII, a quake can result in partial
collapse of ordinary buildings.
"I was shaken for a few seconds, and lamps in the
office swayed. Then everything returned to normal," Xinhua reporter Xue Wenxian
said.
Classes ended early in some schools in Lhasa.
The national seismological network recorded another
earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter Scale in the county at 8:10 p.m. Monday.
The regional earthquake monitoring network said it had observed 15 aftershocks.
An emergency response scheme was launched across the
region soon after the quake broke out. The local government has sent a working
team to guide relief operation in the quake-hit areas.
The rescue headquarters asked relative authorities to
release quake information to the public in time.
Another 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook Tibet's
neighboring region of Xinjiang on Sunday, but no casualties have yet been
reported.
The quake hit at 11:52 p.m., with its epicenter at
39.6 degrees north and 73.9 degrees east in a mountainous area about 100 km from
the county seat of Wuqia, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture.
Xinjiang earthquake monitoring network said it had
observed 196aftershocks as of 1:30 p.m. on Monday, including two above magnitude
5.
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The debris of collapsed buildings is seen in Gedar Township of
Damxung County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 6, 2008. At
least nine people were killed in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that jolted Damxung
County near Lhasa at 4:30 p.m. Monday, the rescue headquarters confirmed
early Tuesday morning.(Xinhua Photo/Purbu Zhaxi)
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China launches emergency response
after Tibet quake
BEIJING, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's seismological
authorities will send experts to an earthquake area in Tibet after a
6.6-magnitude quake killed at least nine on Monday.
The China Earthquake Administration (CEA) has
launched a level III emergency response plan after the strong quake jolted
Damxung County near Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, at 4:30p.m.
(Beijing Time) on Monday.Full story
Local authorities confirm nine deaths
in Tibet quake
LHASA, Oct. 7
(Xinhua) -- Nine people were confirmed dead in a strong earthquake that jolted a
county in Tibet on Monday, the rescue headquarters said at the epicenter.
The previous "at least 30" death toll was inaccurate
due to unauthoritative sources and needed further check. Full story
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Local people remove their belongings from the damaged buildings in Gedar
Township of Damxung County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 6,
2008. At least nine people were killed in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake
that jolted Damxung County near Lhasa at 4:30 p.m. Monday, the rescue
headquarters confirmed early Tuesday morning.(Xinhua Photo/Purbu
Zhaxi)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
