Monks pray as mass cremation of Kyigudo quake victims begin[Sunday, 18 April 2010, 10:51 a.m.]

In this undated photo hundreds of dead bodies are seen piled up at a makeshift morgue near a monastery after a powerful earthquake killed around 1,339 people in the Tibetan dominated Kyigudo in north-eastern Tibet

Due
to the sheer number of corpses, the local Tibetans were compelled to
break with centuries-old tradition of chopping a body into pieces and
leaving it on a platform to be devoured by vultures.”This is
very special as there are too many bodies from earthquake victims, and
we can’t have sky burials for all of them at the same time,” a monk was
quoted as saying by The Associated Press.“There are not
enough vultures for all these bodies, so the bodies will become very
dirty and it is not good for the souls to rest in peace,” he said.
“Therefore, we think the mass cremation is the best funeral for all
these earthquake victims.”Monks at the cremation were not able to give an exact number of bodies burned.

Tibetan monks throw a body wrapped in cloth during a mass cremation for victims of Wednesday’s earthquake in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Tibetan:Kyigudo), Saturday, 17 April 2010. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

While the cremation took place, rescue workers were still searching through rubble in a bid to find any remaining survivors.Though
the Chinese government was reaching out, many residents turned instead
to the monks and their traditions, rather than a central authority
dominated by the majority Han Chinese. Residents of the
largely Tibetan town pointed out repeatedly that after the series of
earthquakes Wednesday, the monks were the first to come to their aid —
pulling people from the rubble and passing out their own limited
supplies.The death toll has now climbed to 1,339, with 322 missing, BBC reported quoting local Chinese government officials.Exile Tibetans Offer Prayers and SolidarityThe
Tibetan people in exile, led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the
Central Tibetan Administration, conducted special services to the
victims of Kyigudo tragedy. In his message issued Saturday,
His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed his eagerness to visit the
earthquake affected area to comfort the victims.

Tibetan monks help digging to search students believe to be trapped at a school collapsed after an earthquake in Kyigudo on Friday, 16 April 2010/AP

His
Holiness said the Tibetan community in exile would like to offer
whatever support and assistance it can towards the relief work as soon
as possible through proper and appropriate channels.His
Holiness also appealed to governments, international aid organisations
and other agencies to extend whatever assistance they can to enable the
families of those devastated by the earthquake to rebuild their lives.Critical need for relief suppliesFood, tents and medical supplies are arriving too but rescue workers say there is a critical need for further supplies, BBC reported.Thousands
of people have been left homeless, with many having to sleep outdoors
in freezing temperatures as the region lies at about 4,000m (13,000ft).
The Provincial Deputy Police Chief Liu Tianhui said during a
press conference on Saturday that the biggest challenge was still
getting enough clean drinking water and food for estimated 100,000
people affected by earthquake.Ninety-seven per cent of the
Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Tibetan: Kyigudo) which was hit by
the earthquake were ethnic Tibetans.