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20-12-2023
BEIJING: In a tragic event, an overnight earthquake struck the northwestern region in China, resulting in the death of at least 118 people, according to state media reports on Tuesday. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.2 according to China Earthquake Networks Center and 5.9 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, occurred near the boundary between Gansu and Qinghai provinces. The shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles) added to the severity of the impact.
Search and rescue operations were immediately initiated in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, where more than 500 people were reported to be injured. The earthquake caused extensive damage to houses and roads, while power and communication lines were disrupted. By mid-morning, the provincial emergency management department confirmed 105 deaths and 397 injuries in Gansu, with 16 in critical condition. In Qinghai, 13 people lost their lives, 182 were injured in an area north of the epicenter, and 20 were reported missing after a landslide buried them, as per the China News Service.
The situation highlighted the urgent need for coordinated efforts in response to the disaster, with search and rescue operations ongoing to locate and aid survivors. The affected region faced significant challenges due to its cold and mountainous terrain, exacerbating the difficulties in providing assistance and relief.
Residents of China’s Gansu province are set in for a freezing night due to subzero temperature in the region, which has been devastated due to the earthquake that hit on Monday, reported media. Some of the residents have decided to spend the night out in the open due to fear of aftershocks and due to extensive damage to homes.
The epicentre of the magnitude-6.2 earthquake was between the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The epicentre of the earthquake Liugou Township is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan Bao’an, Dongxiang, Sala autonomous county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in Gansu, reported news agency PTI. The focal depth of the earthquake was 10 kilometres.
More than 700 are injured due to the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that hit northwestern China on Monday, reported news agency PTI. While 536 people were injured in Gansu, 182 people were wounded and 20 others missing in Qinghai, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The earthquake has damaged 155,393 houses in Gansu province where more than 100 people have lost their lives. (Int’l News Desk)
