Focus shifts to easing trauma

People pay a three-minute silent tribute to people who perished in the earthquake in a memorial service in Dingri county, Xizang, on Monday. TENZIN NYIDA/XINHUA

A memorial service was held on Monday morning in Dingri county, Xizang autonomous region, to mourn the victims of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri last week.

The disaster left 126 dead and hundreds injured.

At 9:30 am, hundreds of people, including government officials, rescue workers and local residents, attended the event in the county's Dramso township, the worst-hit area. They removed their hats and stood in silence for three minutes to honor the deceased.

On Jan 7, the earthquake hit Dingri, home to the northern base camp of the world's highest peak, Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest around the world.

In the aftermath, joint efforts from all sectors of society have carried out rescue and relief work in the affected areas. Mental health relief teams have also been working diligently to ease post-disaster trauma.

On Sunday, a special event was held at a resettlement site for quake victims in Changkar, Dingri. The Psychological Rescue Team of the Red Cross Society of China Sichuan Branch organized a group birthday party for six children born in January, which also attracted more than 30 children from three nearby resettlement areas.

The psychological rescue team from the Red Cross Society of China Sichuan Branch holds a collective birthday party for six children who have birthdays in January in the Changkar village of Dramso township in Dingri on Sunday. CHINA DAILY

Team members sang the birthday song, danced and cut a cake with the children inside a tent, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere despite the dusty and windy weather.

Changkar village in Dramso was one of the areas severely affected by the quake. Six villagers lost their lives, and most of the houses there were either severely damaged or destroyed.

Song Yao, head of the psychological relief team, said the birthday party aimed to help Changkar children recover from the trauma caused by the disaster and to bring warmth to others in the surrounding areas.

Song's team also organized soccer games, singing sessions and painting activities for the village children on Saturday.

During the painting activity, the children were encouraged to express their dreams. Seven-year-old Tsering Putri painted a sun, a red cross and three mountains, explaining that the mountains represented her hometown and that she hopes the sun will always shine on it.

"We brought 10 sets of paintbrushes, and the children chose colorful hues — they rarely picked black," Song said. "Their artwork reflects their bright and hopeful mindset."

Additionally, the team conducted a first-aid training session on Sunday, providing vivid and practical explanations to 55 local villagers and children. The training covered emergency response methods for common accidents, including head injuries, nosebleeds, heatstroke and fractures, enhancing their self-rescue and mutual aid capabilities.

As they dealt with altitude sickness, four members of Song's team began comforting affected residents as soon as they arrived in the quake-hit areas on Friday night.

In addition to the volunteers' mental health relief efforts, other figures have also provided support for those affected by the disaster.

On Monday, Panchen Rinpoche, one of the most influential figures in Tibetan Buddhism, chanted scriptures and prayed with fellow monks for the earthquake victims, hoping that they recover quickly from the disaster and rebuild their homes, according to Xinhua News Agency.

By PALDEN NYIMA and DAQIONG in Lhasa | China Daily