By People’s Daily reporters
“Rush to the earthquake-stricken area, at full speed!” At 9:05 a.m. on Jan. 7, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri county in southwest China’s Xizang autonomous region, the captain of the Dingri county fire rescue brigade, Dondrup Gyaltsen, urgently gave the command.
In just three minutes, the fire rescue brigade was fully equipped and departed to assist the severely affected Chamco township in the epicenter.
To get to Chamco township from Dingri county, the brigade had to travel on two national highways covering a total distance of nearly 40 kilometers, as well as some village roads. Before heading out, Dondrup Gyaltsen was worried that there might be damages to the road which would impede the rescue mission.
“All roads were clear, and we have arrived!” At 9:45 a.m., the brigade reached Chamco township, and Dondrup Gyaltsen promptly reported to higher authorities. “The roads have withstood the strong earthquake, securing precious time for the rescue efforts!” Then the brigade swiftly initiated rescue operations in villages including Gurum.
In the race against time for earthquake relief, every clear path, be it road, power line, or network, was a lifeline and a beacon of hope.
Roads, buying time for rescue efforts
As trucks loaded with relief supplies such as food, drinking water, stoves, and clothes arrived at Tsowa village, Qulho township, Dingri county through a village road, Tashi Phuntsok, head of the village committee, felt considerably relieved: “Fortunately, the village road is not severed by the earthquake, allowing rescue personnel and supplies to arrive promptly.”
Tashi Phuntsok said that since the village road, which directly connected to the national highway, was constructed, the village’s specialty products such as black goji berry, potato, and black barley have reached larger markets.
“The road helps improve villagers’ income, and has now become a ‘lifesaving route’ during this earthquake,” he said.
As of the end of 2024, the total length of roads open to traffic in Xizang had reached 124,900 kilometers. About 97.99 percent of townships and 86.05 percent of administrative villages in the autonomous region have access to roads, and the length of rural roads stand at 94,800 kilometers.
“After the earthquake struck, we swiftly mobilized personnel, machinery, and vehicles to conduct a thorough disaster assessment along the main national and provincial highways in the affected area within half an hour. Within just four hours of the earthquake, all damaged national and provincial highways were cleared, enabling rescue teams and emergency relief vehicles to quickly access the disaster zone,” stated Liu Zhiqiang, head of the transport department of Xizang autonomous region.
According to statistics, as of 3:00 p.m. on Jan. 12, Xizang’s transport department had deployed 853 emergency relief vehicles to the disaster area, transporting 17,500 tons of supplies.
Power lines, bringing warmth to people
On the morning of Jan. 7, Kelsang Phuntsok, director of the service center of the State Grid Dingri County Power Supply Company, led a team to the severely affected Gurum village for emergency repairs. After 15 hours, the first circuit in the village was restored. “Power is back on!” Cheers erupted from the crowd on the scene.
Power was quickly restored in Dingri county less than five hours after the earthquake. Within 18 hours, the most severely affected areas, including Tsogo township, Chamco township, and Qulho township, regained power. By the 34-hour mark, all power lines of severely affected substations, such as those in Lhatse township and Mangpu township in Lhatse county, were fully restored. By the afternoon of January 11, all resettlement sites in the epicenter area were successfully connected to the grid.
In recent days, State Grid Xizang Electric Power Co has been repairing and restoring damaged power facilities and carrying out emergency power connection work. All tents and prefabricated houses in the disaster area have been connected to power lines.
Network, uniting efforts, strengthening collaboration
On the day after the earthquake, technical staff member Lhaphun from China Mobile’s Xizang branch rushed to the disaster area. Equipped with safety ropes and taking circuit boards, he climbed up base station towers to inspect components, identify issues, and repair lines.
“In areas without network coverage, we also temporarily provided emergency services using Beidou satellite messaging, enabling the public to quickly contact relatives and seek external assistance,” said Lhaphun.
Less than a day after the earthquake, a total of 423 emergency personnel from the information and communication industry, 133 emergency vehicles, and 450 satellite phones were mobilized. By 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 8, all out-of-service base stations in Dingri county due to the earthquake were restored, ensuring the overall stable operation of the public communication network in quake-hit areas.
At the resettlement site in Tsongo village, Qulho township, 17-year-old Tenzin Dzongba sat on the stairs, watching videos on his phone with his friends. “After the earthquake, I was initially very anxious, but watching short videos allowed me to see more progress in the rescue efforts. Knowing that many people are concerned about us and various supplies are being delivered, I no longer feel afraid,” he said.
