Tibetan school boys take part in a basketball match in a Primary School of Gedar Township in Damxung County, an outer county of Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 10, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

    BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — Construction authorities in west China’s Tibet and Xinjiang regions are inspecting the integrity of public buildings after two strong earthquakes shook the remote areas last weekend.

    Schools, hospitals, shopping malls, coach stations and railway stations in the Tibet regional capital of Lhasa and prefectures of Xigaze and Shannan will be assessed for damages and stability, said Wang Yalin, deputy director of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Construction Department.

    ”If an unstable building is found, construction experts will tell relevant government departments to reinforce the building or take other measures,” he said.

    A 6.6-magnitude quake hit Damxung County, 82 km north of Lhasa, Oct. 6. Ten people were killed and 34 others injured, mainly women, children and the elderly.

    In a high school in Shannan, one teenager was killed and 15 others injured in a stampede that occurred while the students evacuated during the quake.

    At least 147 houses were toppled.

    A separate 6.8-magnitude quake struck Oct. 5 in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

    Construction authorities there have also started inspecting schools, kindergartens, hospitals and other public buildings. More than 700 houses suffered structural damage; four collapsed. No casualties were reported.

    ”Unstable buildings will be consolidated or stopped from being used,” said Li Jianxin, director of the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Construction Department.

4.0-magnitude aftershock shakes county near Lhasa

    LHASA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — An aftershock measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale jolted Damxung County in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region early Saturday morning.

    Local authorities said, no casualties have been reported. Full story

470,000 Tibetan herds people in Sichuan to move into brick houses

    CHENGDU, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — The government of southwest China’s Sichuan Province plans to help 470,000 Tibetan herds people in the region to settle down in permanent brick houses in the next four years.

    The provincial government will input 5 billion yuan (735 million U.S. dollars) into the project to build new houses and villages as well as primary schools, clinics, offices and other public service infrastructure in the villages. Full story