Nepal quake ravages Tibet temples

The earthquakes in Nepal have severely damaged 242 temples in the neighbouring Tibet region in China, disrupting the lives of 2,566 monks and nuns, the regional religious affairs bureau said on Tuesday.

The bureau told state-run Xinhua news agency that these people have been relocated to temporary settlements, with a good supply of food and where religious routine can be observed.

The quake-ravaged Buddhist temples are all located in Xigaze in the southwest part of Tibet.

At Qoigar temple, which belongs to the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, abbot Jamba Gonbo told Xinhua that the quakes have damaged 20 Buddha statues. Three gold-plated figures were buried in rubble.

Gonbo said their dormitories were completely toppled and the temple hall was badly damaged. Local authorities have set up camps for monks.

"Necessities can be guaranteed in the settlements. We have held several prayer rituals for quake victims in nearby villages," said the abbot.

The regional religious affairs bureau is still collecting information on damage to relics in the temples, while repairing salvaged items.

Gonbo said damaged relics in Qoigar temple have been left in their original locations. "We wait for experts to evaluate and repair them," he said.

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake which struck Nepal on April 25 and ensuing aftershocks have left nearly 9,000 people dead and destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of houses in Nepal.

The toll from the quakes stands at 25 in Tibet, with four missing and 797 injured. The quake affected nearly 300,000 people, displacing more than 52,000, in the southwestern Chinese region.