Urgency Mounts in Search for Survivors of Quake in Tibet

People trapped are at risk of hypothermia and may survive only 5 to 10 hours: Experts

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More than 400 people trapped by rubble in earthquake-stricken Tibet have been rescued, Chinese officials said on Jan 8, with an unknown number still unaccounted for in freezing weather a day after a strong tremor rocked the Himalayan foothills.

The epicentre of the 6.8-magnitude quake, one of the region's most powerful tremors in recent years, was located in Tingri in China's Tibet region, about 80km north of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.

The quake on Jan 7 also shook buildings in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India.

Twenty-four hours after the temblor struck, survivors trapped under rubble would have endured a night in sub-zero temperatures, adding to the pressure on rescue workers searching in an area the size of Cambodia.

Temperatures in the high-altitude region dropped to as low as minus 18 deg C overnight. People trapped or those without shelter are at risk of rapid hypothermia and may be able to live for only five to 10 hours, even if uninjured, experts say.

Footage broadcast on state television CCTV showed families huddled in tents quickly erected by soldiers and aid workers in settlements surrounding the epicentre, where hundreds of aftershocks have been recorded.