January 14th (AMSP/CGTN) – – Emergency responders have been racing against time to build shelters at resettlement sites in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region as aftershocks from the deadly quake that struck the region last week continue.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Dingri County of the region’s Xigaze City on Jan 7, claiming the lives of 126 people and injuring 188 others, while destroying some 3,600 houses and forcing some 47,500 residents to be relocated across the affected areas.
A 4.9-magnitude and a 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County at 20:57 and 20:58 on Monday (Beijing Time), both aftershocks from last week’s earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The 5.0-magnitude earthquake is the largest aftershock monitored so far, with its epicenter nine kilometers away from the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, according to CENC.
According to a China Media Group (CMG) reporter who went deep in to one of the worst-hit regions, a village in Tsogo Township, the aftershocks occurred when construction workers and fire fighters were building prefabricated houses.
When the aftershocks hit, all construction materials and emergency equipment on the ground were shaking, but work continued in an orderly manner after the shockwave ended, according to the reporter.
amsp/cgtn-abp
CGTN