Shallow quake center, intensity blamed for damage in Xizang

A team of housing technicians will carry out comprehensive inspection and thorough assessment on the houses in the quake-struck Dingri county of Shigatse, Xizang, to serve the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction plans, according to local housing authority.

Over 27,200 houses have been damaged, of which 3,612 have collapsed so far, Li Xiuwu, head of the region’s department of housing and urban-rural development, said at a news conference Thursday afternoon in Shigatse.

The severe damage to houses in the Dingri county is mainly because of the high seismic magnitude with high intensity and shallow epicenter, and high concentration of houses, he said.

It experienced extreme seismic intensity, reaching level nine on the seismic intensity scale, ranging from 0 to 12 with 12 as the most severe and worst. With the quake originating at a depth of only 10 kilometers, it was classified as a shallow-focus earthquake. Loose soil in the surrounding plains further amplified the destruction.