More than 110 people were killed in an earthquake overnight Monday, December 18, to Tuesday, December 19, in northwest China’s Gansu province, state media reported Tuesday morning.
The earthquake, measuring 5.9 magnitude according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), caused significant damage; houses collapsed, forcing residents to flee into the streets. state news agency Xinhua reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all possible efforts” to be made in search and rescue operations that began early Tuesday, and to ensure the safety of survivors and their properties.
The earthquake occurred in Gansu province, near the border with Qinghai province. At least a hundred people were killed and many others injured in Gansu province, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the provincial earthquake relief headquarters. Also according to the channel, eleven other people were killed and around 100 injured in the city of Haidong, in the neighboring province of Qinghai.
The channel broadcast images of emergency vehicles heading towards the scene of the accident, flashing lights on, along snow-covered highways. Rescue workers dressed in jumpsuits stood shoulder to shoulder in the trucks, with other images showing them lined up in rows to receive instructions. Emergency personnel are also seen searching through the debris by torchlight and unfolding stretchers.
Videos posted on social networks reveal destroyed ceilings and rubble. The water and electricity supply was interrupted in some villages, according to the Xinhua news agency.
10 km deep
Temperatures fell well below freezing in northern China, and footage from one of the worst-hit areas broadcast on CCTV showed residents warming themselves near a fire as emergency services set up shelters. tents.
Authorities sent emergency relief personnel to the region immediately after the earthquake, and provincial leaders are also on their way, Xinhua reported.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers at 11:59 p.m. local time Monday (1659 GMT), according to the USGS, which revised the magnitude down after initially announcing 6.0.
According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred about 100 kilometers southwest of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, and was followed by several other smaller earthquakes.
