Relief supplies reach earthquake-hit Baqen County in Xizang, while rescue teams help residents access daily necessities and recover belongings.
Relief supplies continue to reach earthquake-hit Baqen County in Nagqu, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, as authorities work to meet the daily needs of affected residents.
On October 26th, a 60-tonne shipment of Tibetan brick tea arrived at Nagqu railway freight yard from Chengdu, Sichuan Province. It was the first batch of earthquake relief supplies to reach Nagqu by rail. Workers quickly unloaded the tea and sent it to Baqen County.
A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck Baqen at 10:33 pm on October 22th. According to local authorities, the quake had killed 16 people and injured 76 others as of 5 pm on October 24th. It had also displaced 12,489 people, who were relocated to temporary accommodation.
Meanwhile, basic supplies remain available at resettlement sites across the county. CNS reporters visiting several sites found adequate supplies of rice, flour, cooking oil, Tibetan brick tea and tsampa, a staple food made from roasted barley flour.
The earthquake-hit area lies at an average elevation of nearly 4,800 metres, where temperatures can fall sharply. Local herders traditionally eat yak and mutton, tsampa and butter. Relief efforts have therefore included food and supplies suited to local needs.
At a relief distribution event in Village 11 of Maru Township on October 25th, Sonam Cuozha, a father of three, said his village had already received tsampa. He collected flour, rice, brick tea, milk and cooking oil that day. As his family has a baby only a few months old, he also received a tin of infant formula.
According to Nagqu authorities, 60,518 items or sets of relief supplies across 20 categories had been dispatched to the affected area as of 5 pm on October 24th. They included 4,758 tents, 2,000 prefabricated houses, 2,250 padded coats and 2,344 stoves. Traditional Tibetan clothing and outdoor jackets were also among the supplies.
Heating is another priority as winter approaches. Nyainrong County, near Baqen, sent 20,000 bags of yak dung fuel to the affected area. Suo County provided 80 tonnes of coal, while Biru County supplied about 80 tonnes of yak dung.
At a resettlement site in Gangqie Township, tents were equipped with stoves and stocked with tsampa and thick quilts. A resident, Cai Beng, said a stove had been installed in her family’s tent on October 24th. Her family cooked its first meal since the earthquake that day. Meanwhile, a local fruit and vegetable shop remained open, with supplies and prices unchanged.
Rescue teams have also been helping residents recover belongings from damaged homes. On October 24th, personnel from China Anneng Construction Group searched the ruins of seven damaged houses in Qugu Village, Maru Township. They looked for personal belongings, including Buddhist scriptures, thangkas and Buddhist statues, as well as household items such as stoves and cooking equipment.
Zhou Xiao, the team leader at the site, said rescuers handled religious items with particular care. The team also assigned Tibetan-speaking staff to communicate with affected residents.
One villager, Kada Dala, said his family had 12 members. They were in Lhasa and Nagqu when the earthquake struck, and all were safe. However, their house collapsed, burying their belongings beneath the rubble.
Dala said rescuers came to comfort him soon after the earthquake. During the search, the team recovered most of the family’s Buddhist scriptures, thangkas and statues, which he said made him happy.
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