URGENT EMERGENCY APPEAL - Kyekudo (Yushu) Earthquake
You may have already heard the sad news of the devastating earthquake (a 6.9 magnitude) this morning at 07.49 (23.49 GMT) in Yushu (Kyedudo in Tibetan) in the northwest Province of Qinghai. This news has been widely broadcast on Chinese television and by the BBC.
View more images of this tragic event at our flickr photo gallery
Yushu County is 800km (500 miles) southwest of the provincial capital Xining. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region in the west and Kandze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the east.
Having worked in this region in the past, Tibet Foundation is familiar with the area and is already in contact with local people and local authorities. Ninety percent of the population there is ethnic Tibetan. The area is one of the poorest and remotest regions in the country with very inadequate communication and infrastructure.
The powerful tremor struck around 8 am local time followed by several other quakes, destroying or damaging almost all the houses, also school buildings, medical clinics and hospitals in the county capital, Kyekudo. Information regarding nearby areas is not available at the moment due to landslides and the breakdown of telecommunications. The official report of casualties states that some 400 are dead and thousands more injured. The unofficial and unconfirmed news from local people is three times greater than this.
The Chinese government has a good record of responding efficiently to such emergencies. The government and the Chinese Red Cross have already sent officials to assess the situation. Due to the remoteness of the region and poor infrastructure it could be a very challenging task.
We are directly in touch with some local people and local officers, and the Foundation representative in the nearby Kandze Prefecture is coordinating our assessment of the situation. Your help is most urgently needed for the Tibetans in the region. Whatever support you can give towards immediate assistance for medicine, clothing and food, and also long-term support for rebuilding schools and health clinics, would be very much appreciated. All funds raised by Tibet Foundation will go immediately to the people in need with no intermediary agencies.
Please, we urgently request you to help the Tibetans in Kyekudo affected by this devastating earthquake. We assure you that whatever amount you can offer, however large or small, will go directly to assisting the people in Kyekudo.
Your support is urgently needed
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Please send your donation to Tibet Foundation.
Account Name: Tibet Foundation
Account No: 00319945
Sort Code: 30-97-81
BIC: LOYDGB21034
IBAN: GB71 LOYD 3097 8100319945
Bank Name: Lloyds TSB PLC
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Please make your cheque payable to Tibet Foundation (Yushu Earthquake) and send it to:
Tibet Foundation, 2 St. James's Market, London, SW1Y 4SB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 930 6001
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Our thanks to you in anticipation of your immediate and generous response.
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