2023-12-19 03:37:08
China is once again bereaved by an earthquake. More than 100 people were killed in an overnight earthquake in the northwestern province of Gansu. Dozens more were injured, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday, citing the provincial earthquake relief headquarters. Eleven people were also killed and more than 100 injured in the city of Haidong in neighboring Qinghai province.
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. the state agency New China said.
Some villages without water or electricity
Rescue operations were underway as of Tuesday morning, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for “all-out efforts” in search and rescue operations.
Videos posted on social networks show destroyed ceilings and rubble. The water and electricity supply was interrupted in some villages, according to the Chine Nouvelle agency. Authorities sent emergency relief personnel to the area immediately after the earthquake, and provincial leaders were also on their way, the agency reported.
Frequent earthquakes in China
The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers at 11:59 p.m. Monday, according to the USGS, which revised the magnitude downward after initially announcing 6.0. The earthquake occurred about a hundred kilometers southwest of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, and was followed by several smaller aftershocks.
Earthquakes are relatively common in China. In August, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake in the east of the country injured 23 people and destroyed dozens of buildings. In September 2022, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Sichuan province caused the death of 100 people.
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