In bitter cold, rescuers race against time to tackle aftermath of Xizang quake

The quake struck Dingri County in the city of Xigaze at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday, leaving 126 people dead and 188 others injured. It also toppled over 3,600 houses.

After more than 10,000 rescuers have combed through all the areas of rubble, the search and rescue work has basically ended, Wang Fanghong, mayor of Xigaze, announced at a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon. A total of 407 trapped people have been rescued.

The focus of work has now shifted to the resettlement of the affected people and post-disaster reconstruction, said Hong Li, chief of the Xizang emergency management department.

In the next step, local authorities will continue to strengthen earthquake early warning, spare no effort in the search and rescue effort to ensure no one is unaccounted for, and go all out to treat the injured, Hong said.

Meanwhile, authorities will ensure the proper resettlement of affected residents, make sure they have warm shelters in which to spend the winter nights, prevent secondary disasters, and speed up disaster verification and post-disaster reconstruction.

With an average altitude of 4,500 meters, Dingri County is home to the northern base camp of Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak. With a population of over 60,000, the county is one of the most populous border counties in Xizang. There are 27 villages and about 6,900 people within a 20-km radius of the epicenter.

More than 14,600 people, including firefighters, soldiers, police officers and professional rescuers, joined the rescue operation. According to the Xigaze city government, over 46,500 affected residents have been relocated to 187 resettlement sites, with 3,705 tents set up.

A total of 484 tourists in Dingri County, including 13 foreigners, have returned to the urban area of Xigaze, with no casualties among them, rescue officials said Wednesday.

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As written before, China's Xizang quake kills 126, all-out rescue effort underway.