(MENAFN) Leader Xi Jinping has called for comprehensive rescue operations to save lives and reduce casualties following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck a county in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday morning.

Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, emphasized the need for maximum effort in search and rescue operations and medical care for the injured.

He stressed the importance of preventing secondary disasters, properly resettling affected residents, and effectively managing the aftermath of the disaster. Xi also highlighted the need to enhance earthquake monitoring and early warning systems, allocate disaster relief supplies promptly, repair damaged infrastructure quickly, and ensure basic needs are met, including providing residents with a safe and warm winter.

Premier Li Qiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, echoed Xi's directives, urging swift assessments of the disaster and casualty situation, as well as immediate and all-encompassing rescue operations to minimize loss of life.

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