Earthquake Shatters Tibetan Plateau

Residents of Jiegu Town,the remote home of about 70,000 on the Tibetan Plateau of Northwest China,were subjected to a series of violent earthquakes and aftershocks Wednesday morning.At least 760 were killed and 10,000 injured.More than 300 are still missing.Chinese troops and paramilitary forces arrived to lend assistance to the devoutly Buddhist area,where the ethnic Tibetan monks also lended a hand in the rescue effort.Some 900 souls were pulled from the rubble of the mud brick buildings characteristic of the high desert region near the Himalayan peaks.
The isolated area,which is known as Qinghai Province,has limited roads,and several bridges were wrecked by the earthquake.Rescuers also faced altitude sickness,landslides,sandstorms,and subfreezing temperatures.A shortage of tents became obvious to the dislocated residents on Wednesday night,when they were exposed to the severe elements.Monasteries were hard-hit,and the Jiegu Monastery hotel was flattened.
Qinghai province is the homeland of the Tibetan spiritual leader,the Dalai Lama,who is revered by the largely ethnic Tibetan populace.His Holiness issued a statement saying he was exploring ways to convey aid to the area and offering prayers for the earthquake victims and their families.The Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India in 1959 when the Communists came to power.
The Chinese leaders said stability must be maintained in the aftermath of this natural disaster in Qinghai Province,which is located some 1200 miles from Beijing.