32,500 houses restored, rebuilt within 10 months after earthquake hits Xizang

LHASA -- Less than ten months after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Xizang's Dingri county, more than 32,500 destroyed or damaged houses have been restored and handed over to affected residents, according to the authorities of Xigaze city.

The restoration work covered 486 villages in seven counties, resulting in the reconstruction of more than 22,000 houses and the reinforcement of an additional 10,500 homes. The first batch of quake-affected residents have moved into new homes in August.

Within three days of the earthquake, Xizang launched a post-disaster reconstruction plan and began preliminary work, which included housing design, surveying and debris clearance.

Carried out at an average altitude of over 4,000 meters — reaching up to 5,300 meters in some areas — the reconstruction faced severe challenges such as extreme cold, low oxygen and complex geology. Despite these conditions, a total of 134 companies, together with over 61,000 workers and 6,600 public sector employees, worked on-site to ensure all the houses were completed on schedule.