Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture In Ruin After 7.1 Quake

Chinese media are reporting widespread devastation in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, following a 7.1 earthquake (reported as 6.9 in the West).

Many people are still buried under the debris of collapsed houses in the Gyegu Town near the epicenter in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in southern Qinghai, according to Huang Limin, deputy secretary-general of the prefecture government.

The strong quake and a string of aftershocks, with the biggest one being 6.3 magnitude, have toppled houses, temples, gas stations and electric poles, triggered landslides, damaged roads, cut power supplies and disrupted telecommunications. A reservoir was also cracked, where workers are trying to prevent the outflow of water.

The death toll of over 600 is expected to rise as over 5,000 personnel respond to remove bodies from crumbled structures. 

This is quite simply a terrible, terrible circumstance for this Tibetan Buddhist stronghold, and may spell the end of several historic temples and monasteries with their priceless artifacts.  That, in itself, is unhappy but should not overshadow the human toll, which is much worse. It is likely that most of the region's surviving residents will be relocated. Yushu was the scene of rioting in 2008, and the central government now has an opportunity to put decisive end to unrest in the region. At best, many unfortunate beings there now face an uncertain future, and we send them our rain of prayers.

Note: We are continuously updating links to earthquake coverage at our consolidation page, here.