An aerial view shows the temporary resettlement area for residents in Sengga village in Dingri county, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, on January 8, 2025. Photo: VCG

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri county in Xigaze city, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday. 

The epicenter, near the base of Mount Qomolangma, was located in a remote, high-altitude region with an average elevation of about 5,000 meters, presenting significant challenges for rescue operations, especially in winter.

Despite the harsh conditions, rescue teams quickly mobilized. Various rescue forces, including emergency response teams, firefighters, forest firefighters, police officers, and military personnel and volunteers, swiftly arrived in the area within hours.

Roads, power, and communication lines have been restored, and displaced residents are being sheltered in thermal tents with access to hot meals. Post-disaster resettlement is progressing in an orderly manner. As of Thursday, 224 resettlement sites have been set up to accommodate 47,500 displaced people, local authorities said at a press conference.

Help has come from all directions, with heartwarming moments of compassion being documented. 

The scenes captured by cameras and smartphones during the disasters highlighted the solidarity and dedication of the people involved in disaster relief.

On the first night of the earthquake, children, volunteers, and soldiers in the disaster zone together sing "Unity is Strength," as reported by the Science and Technology Daily.

Ye Fang and Xu Lu, a couple from East China's Anhui Province, were in Xigaze on their honeymoon when the earthquake struck. In the immediate aftermath, they rushed to the epicenter and went into "rescue mode." 

Ye, who was a veteran, using only his hands, dug for hours to rescue the injured, while Xu repurposed their luggage as a supply distribution tool, offering essential aid to those in need, the People's Daily reported.

In Xigaze's Cona county, two elderly women were walking down the road, carrying large bundles of cow dung. They were donating this essential fuel, crucial for highland life, to the earthquake-affected regions, according to video clips sent by local government to the Global Times.

"We stand behind you; the country stands with you!" said Paruk, a young man from Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, who runs a restaurant in Lhasa. He and his six friends arrived in Dingri county's earthquake zone soon after the earthquake, offering free pilaf to the people there, according to the news portal Altay News.

In a video sent by the Xizang Military Command to the Global Times, as the medical team from the Xizang Military Command finished their work in Gabu village in Dingri county on Friday, they were sent off by children lined up along the roadside, all saluting the people who had helped them.

The Global Times reporters on the spot saw many adults engaged in rescue and relief work in Tangren village of Dingri county, while children were playing nearby. 

A temporary "classroom" has been set up to provide children with reading and drawing materials donated by various social groups, offering psychological counseling through literature and art.

"Children's psychological responses to the earthquake are a key area of focus for us. Our current work is to help them overcome psychological difficulties," Jigme Tenzin from the Xizang Starlight Social Work Service Center, told the Global Times.

Outside the classroom, a woman was seen carrying a toddler on her back and cradling a kitten. Several children gathered around and kissed the kitten, smiling in the face of adversity. It is clear that the future is filled with hope.

A villager thanks a forest firefighter for helping him transport his three yaks and essential supplies out of the demolished houses in Dingri county on January 7, 2025. Photo: VCG

Medical team members prepare to transfer an injured villager in Dingri county from an ambulance to a helicopter for hospitalization in Lhasa on January 9, 2025. Photo: VCG

A child kisses a kitten in Gurong village of Dingri county on January 8, 2025. Photo: Fan Wei/GT

Police and firefighters join forces to assist disaster-stricken residents in Gurong village on January 9, 2025. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Members of the Blue Sky Rescue Team assemble prefabricated shelters to provide temporary refuge for the affected residents in Dingri county on January 8, 2025. Photo: VCG

Global Times