Focus shifts to Tibet earthquake survivors as search called off

9/1/2025 16:46

Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a massive rescue operation near the foot of the Himalayas, as they wound down the search in a high-altitude environment where the odds of survival were always slim.



The epicentre of Tuesday's 6.8 magnitude quake, one of the Chinese region's strongest tremors in recent years, was in Tingri, a rural county with a population of about 60,000 people around 80 km north of Mount Everest.



The temblor shook buildings as far away as Nepal and parts of India, and destroyed more than 3,600 houses around Tingri, presenting a formidable task to rescuers in an area where the average elevation is more than 4,000 metres.



Forty-eight hours after the quake, experts say those trapped under the rubble are likely to have succumbed to hypothermia, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius at night.



An initial tally on Tuesday night showed at least 126 people had been killed and 188 injured, according to Chinese state media. It remained unchanged as of Thursday.