Authorities deployed hundreds of rescuers to the disaster area
Students gather outdoor after evacuating from their dormitories at the Lanzhou University Yuzhong campus in Lanzhou in northwestern China’s Gansu province, December 19, 2023 © Wang Xi via AP
Hundreds of people have been injured and killed after a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck northwestern China a minute before midnight on Monday, according to China Earthquake Networks Center.
The epicenter of the quake was located in China’s mountainous Gansu Province, where at least 100 people were killed, while the neighboring Qinghai Province reported at least 11 fatalities. The powerful jolt damaged multiple houses and infrastructure, and disrupted transportation, communications, water and electricity lines, according to local media.
Authorities sent dozens of ambulances and hundreds of rescue personnel to help the victims and deal with the aftermath of the quake. As of 6:30 am on Tuesday, the number of those treated for various injuries had grown to 300 people, according to the Global Times.
Videos of the earthquake-hit area taken by rescue workers who arrived in Northwest China’s Gansu, where a 6.2-magnitude earthquake has claimed at least 111 lives in Gansu and Qinghai provinces as of Tuesday morning. Courtesy: Blue Sky Rescue Team pic.twitter.com/uKVYNmKJ8O
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) December 19, 2023
#China activates level-III emergency response to earthquake in GansuPresident #XiJinping has urged all-out search and rescue efforts and proper arrangements for affected people to ensure the safety of people's lives and property after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Jishishan… pic.twitter.com/YByLvzB0DE
— Bridging News (@BridgingNews_) December 19, 2023
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for an “all-out search and rescue effort” to minimize the casualties and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, according to Xinhua.
Live: The magnitude-6.2 earthquake that jolted Jishishan county in northwest China's Gansu Province late Monday evening has killed over 100 people, according to the provincial earthquake relief headquarters #CGTNOnSitehttps://t.co/Y8YfZG607Z
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) December 19, 2023
