All efforts need to be focused on search and rescue for survivors and treating the injured, President Xi Jinping instructed on Friday morning, after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed 16 and injured 54 in China’s Tibet autonomous region overnight.
“The disaster-hit area is located in a high-altitude region with cold weather. It is imperative to closely monitor seismic activities and weather changes and implement rescue operations accordingly, while preventing secondary disasters,” he said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Xi added that emergency rescue supplies needed to be allocated and those affected in the disaster should be settled properly, while damaged infrastructure should be repaired as soon as possible.
The weather in the region is minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 Fahrenheit), with a small chance of snow.
Premier Li Qiang also instructed the emergency management ministry and the China Earthquake Administration to continue monitoring the region for any aftershocks.