Tents arrive for survivors of earthquake in high-altitude, wintry Tibet that killed 126
Beijing (AP): Rescue workers in the cold, high-altitude Tibet region in western China searched for more survivors and victims Wednesday, one day after a strong earthquake levelled thousands of houses and killed at least 126 people.
Tents, quilts and other relief items were being delivered to provide shelter for those whose homes are uninhabitable or unsafe. Temperatures fell well below freezing overnight in an area with an average altitude of about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet).
The confirmed death toll stood at 126 with another 188 injured as of Tuesday evening. The earthquake struck about 75 kilometers (50 miles) from Mount Everest and the border with Nepal, where the shaking sent people running out of their homes in the capital Kathmandu.
The dead included at least 22 of the 222 residents of Gurum, the village's Communist Party chief Tsering Phuntsog told the official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday. The victims included his 74-year-old mother, and several other of his relatives remained buried in the debris.
“Even young people couldn't run out of the houses when the earthquake hit, let alone old people and children,” Tsering Phuntsog said.
More than 3,600 houses collapsed, according to a preliminary survey and 30,000 residents had been relocated, Xinhua said, citing the city government in Shigatse, which is called Xigaze in Chinese.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has 1,850 rescuers on the ground, state broadcaster CCTV said, along with firefighters and others.
More than 500 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquake, which the US Geological Survey said was magnitude 7.1. China's earthquake centre recorded a magnitude of 6.8.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Interstate cyber-fraud racket busted in UP's Baghpat, 7 held
Baghpat (PTI): An interstate cyber-fraud racket involved in duping people on the pretext of providing bank jobs was busted by police in this Uttar Pradesh district on Sunday with the arrest of seven people, including two women, officials said.
Police said the accused were running a fake call centre and luring job seekers from several states by issuing forged appointment letters and fabricated agreements in the name of bank recruitment, collecting large sums of money in return.
READ READ: Meat, alcohol ban at three 'holy cities' now in effect: Punjab CM Mann
Twelve mobile phones, two laptops, two SIM cards on fake names, several forged appointment letters and agreements, 15 bank passbooks, two chequebooks, UPI QR codes, ATM cards and 11 other cards were seized from the possession of the accused, police said, adding that the data of around 6,450 people from different states was found stored in the laptops.
According to the officials, the gang misused information obtained from online platforms, such as OLX and job-related websites, to target unsuspecting victims.
The racket was uncovered following complaints received on the Union home ministry's "Pratibimb" portal and subsequent technical surveillance.
Investigations revealed at least 20 complaints from various states, including Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Meghalaya.
The arrested accused were identified as Mohit Kumar, Puneet Kumar, Vardaan, Anuj Kumar and Akshay, besides the two women.
They were arrested at around 11:30 am from under the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in the Kotwali Baghpat area.
A case has been registered at the cyber crime police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 66D of the Information Technology Act, police said.
