LANZHOU – A massive earthquake jolted China’s Gansu province in the wee hours of Monday, and the powerful seismic activity was followed by 10 aftershocks.
Chinese officials confirmed the death of 116 people and over 400 people were injured during the earthquake on Monday night, as tremors were also felt in neighboring Qinghai. The epicenter of the quake is Xi’an in northern Shaanxi province, about 565 km away.
Clips aired by Chinese media showed rescuers moving patients to a local hospital, and teams searching through the rubble of residential buildings that were razed by the earthquake.
The chilly weather in the high-altitude area affected the affected people.
Firefighters were conducting rescue operations in earthquake-stricken areas at a minimum temperature of -12 C in Haidong, Northwest China's Qinghai Province. Haidong is located about 20 kilometers away from Jishishan county, Gansu Province, where the 6.2-magnitude earthquake… pic.twitter.com/9qrpogoTc6
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) December 19, 2023
Chinese President Xi said the government is taking all out steps to carry out search and rescue, and to provide treatment to the injured.
Provincial authorities held a presser and confirmed the death of over 100 people, and urged masses not to flock to the sites, and clear roads for speedy rescue operation.
Following the destruction, several services including power and water supplies remained disrupted in the region.
The region witnessed several quakes in previous years due to its tectonic plates. Dozen of people died last September, when a 6.6-magnitude quake hit Sichuan province.
More to follow…
