Rescue workers go to Xizang after 6.8 magnitude earthquake

The National Health Commission said on Tuesday that it has dispatched national-level emergency rescue medical specialists to areas affected by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Southwest China’s Xizang autonomous region.

These medical workers are sent from Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing and Sichuan University’s West China Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province and specialize in intensive care, orthopedics and emergency medicine.

The commission has also required national emergency rescue medical teams in neighboring provinces and regions of Xizang to be prepared and ready to provide necessary support.

The quake hit at 9:05am, with its epicenter in Dingri county in Shigatse city. As of 3pm, the toll has reached 95 with 130 injured.

The commission added that local health authorities have activated an emergency response and the People’s Hospital of Xizang autonomous region has sent eight medical rescue vehicles and 26 medical workers to affected areas.

Local hospitals have also set up expedited channels to receive the injured and hospital beds are sufficient. Rescuing survivors and treating injuries are being carried out, as well as public health work, it said.