2023-12-19 13:36:26
Rescuers search for survivors this Tuesday among the rubble of buildings that collapsed after a powerful earthquake in the middle of the night that left at least 118 dead in northwest China.
The earthquake occurred about 1,300 kilometers southwest of Beijing, in Gansu province.
Local authorities in Gansu province reported at least 105 dead and around 400 injured. In the neighboring province of Qinghai, state television CCTV reported another 13 dead and 20 missing in the city of Haidong.
The earthquake damaged thousands of houses and forced residents to go outside in freezing temperatures. She was scared to death. Look how my hands and legs are shaking,” declared a woman in her 30s in a video broadcast on the social networks of the state-run Diario del Pueblo.
Read more: More than 100 dead and 200 injured in an earthquake in northwest China
“As soon as I ran out of the house, the earth from the mountain gave way and fell on the roof,” she said, sitting with a baby in her arms and covered by a blanket.
The 5.9 magnitude tremor, according to the American Geophysical Institute (USGS), occurred at 11:59 p.m. (3:59 p.m. GMT) at a depth of ten kilometers.
118 dead and nearly 400 injured after a strong #Earthquake in the northwest of #China
The earthquake, measuring 6.2 magnitude, was followed by several aftershocks.
The Chinese president #XiJinping ordered to redouble rescue efforts to reduce the number of victims to a minimum./cc pic.twitter.com/YSf5K58Jzc
— DW Español (@dw_espanol)
December 19, 2023
118 dead and nearly 400 injured after a strong #Earthquake in the northwest of #China
The earthquake, measuring 6.2 magnitude, was followed by several aftershocks.
The Chinese president #XiJinping ordered to redouble rescue efforts to reduce the number of victims to a minimum./cc pic.twitter.com/YSf5K58Jzc
— DW Español (@dw_espanol)
December 19, 2023
The Chinese state agency Xinhua reported that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2 and was felt in the historic city of Xi’an, in the northern province of Shaanxi about 570 km away.
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The epicenter of the quake was 100 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital, Lanzhou, and was followed by several aftershocks.
It is the deadliest earthquake in China since 2014, when more than 600 people died in an earthquake in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
Rescue teams began work early on Tuesday, and President Xi Jinping urged “every effort” in search and relief efforts.
Provincial authorities moved to the hardest hit areas, Xinhua added. Russian President Vladimir Putin, an ally of Beijing, offered his “deep” condolences to Xi, and said on behalf of Russia that he shares “the pain of those who lost their loved ones in this catastrophe.”
The Chinese state agency Xinhua reported that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2 and was felt in the historic city of Xi’an, in the northern province of Shaanxi about 570 km away.
The epicenter of the quake was 100 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital, Lanzhou, and was followed by several aftershocks.
It is the deadliest earthquake in China since 2014, when more than 600 people died in an earthquake in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
Rescue teams began work early on Tuesday, and President Xi Jinping urged “every effort” in search and relief efforts.
Provincial authorities moved to the hardest hit areas, Xinhua added. Russian President Vladimir Putin, an ally of Beijing, offered his “deep” condolences to Xi, and said on behalf of Russia that he shares “the pain of those who lost their loved ones in this catastrophe.”
Cold weather
The Xinhua agency reported cuts in electricity and water services in some villages, and videos posted on social networks showed fallen roofs and debris in the streets.
CCTV showed images of rescue vehicles arriving at the affected areas on snowy roads. Television indicated that more than 1,400 firefighters and rescuers were sent to the disaster area and another 1,600 remained on standby.
The rescuers appeared shoulder to shoulder in the trucks, while other images showed them standing receiving instructions.
In other videos, emergency personnel are seen using flashlights to search through the rubble, with orange stretchers to carry the bodies.
Temperatures plunged below zero in northern China, and CCTV footage from one of the worst-affected areas showed villagers warming themselves at a campfire as emergency workers set up tents.
Earthquakes are common in China. In August, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck the east of the country, leaving more than 20 people injured and causing dozens of buildings to collapse.
In September 2022, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan province, killing nearly 100 people. Another 7.9 magnitude earthquake in 2008 left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, including 5,335 schoolchildren.
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