A earthquake magnitude 6.2 struck a remote mountainous region on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on Monday shortly before midnight, killing at least 118 people and injuring hundreds, according to Chinese state media.
Authorities have mobilized a series of emergency measures, but rescue efforts have proven difficult in sub-zero temperatures. Most China faced sub-zero temperatures as a cold wave swept across the country.
Earthquakes are common in western provinces such as Gansu, which lie on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a tectonically active zone. China’s deadliest move in recent decades occurred in 2008, when a shaking magnitude 8.0 hit Sichuan, killing nearly 70,000 people.
At 11:59 p.m. local time (1559 GMT) on Monday, the earthquake struck Jishishan county in Gansu at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the Earthquake Network Center of China. China.
The epicenter was 5 kilometers from the border between Gansu and the neighboring province of Qinghai, where strong tremors were also felt.
In Gansu, 105 people had died as of 7:50 a.m. local time on Tuesday (2350 GMT Monday) and of the 397 injured as of 9:30 a.m. local time, 16 were in critical condition, provincial authorities said at a news conference. press.
The death toll in Qinghai rose to at least 13, with 182 injured.
Officially, 20 people remained missing.
About 2,200 personnel from the Gansu provincial fire brigade and 900 from the forestry brigade, as well as 260 professional rescuers, were sent to the disaster area, the Xinhua news agency reported, adding that hundreds of military personnel were also deployed. and police.
The province, which has allocated 20 million yuan (US$2.8 million) to the local government for emergency response efforts, also sent supplies including 2,600 cotton tents, 10,400 folding beds, 10,400 quilts, 10,400 mattresses cotton and 1,000 sets of stoves.
Local authorities also imposed traffic restrictions in Jishishan until rescue efforts are completed.
Race against the cold
Since the disaster area is located in a high altitude region where the climate is cold, rescue efforts are striving to avoid secondary disasters caused by factors other than the earthquake, according to Xinhua.
The temperature in Linxia, ​​Gansu, near where the movement occurred, was about minus 14 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning.
Although the 72 hours after shaking are the most likely time to rescue survivors, this time frame will be shortened by harsh weather conditions, increasing the risk of victims becoming trapped.
Some water, electricity, transportation, communications and other infrastructure have been damaged.
Power supply in the quake-hit area was gradually being restored after the state grid sent 18 emergency repair teams, according to CCTV. By noon local time, about 88% of power had been restored in Jishishan.
Dozens of highways and rural roads were damaged by multiple landslides, although no casualties were reported.
Footage from state media showed fire rescue personnel sifting through the rubble of collapsed buildings: Loose bricks had piled up in a dirt alley in a Gansu town after breaking loose from a damaged house, while in larger structures The walls were solid, but the roofs had collapsed.
At a university in Gansu’s capital, Lanzhou, about 180 kilometers from the epicenter, students dressed in down jackets were seen standing in groups outside their dormitories after the earthquakeaccording to a video published by the state newspaper The Paper.
An important hydroelectric dam located 50 kilometers from the epicenter was not affected by the movement. CCTV reported that the dam, located on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, was operating normally.
The tremors were felt up to 1,000 kilometers away in the central province of Henan, where local media shared videos of furniture swaying in people’s homes.
Awakened by the earthquake, residents left their buildings and headed to open areas in search of safety, local outlet Jimu reported, showing a photo of people huddled together with thick blankets outdoors.
Preliminary analyzes show that the earthquake was a thrust-type rupture, one of three magnitude greater than 6 that have occurred within 200 kilometers of the epicenter since 1900, according to CCTV. State media reported at least 32 aftershocks in the hour after the movement.
Gansu officials told reporters that the last strong earthquake of at least magnitude 5.0 to hit less than 100 kilometers from the epicenter was in 2019.
A total of nine aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 and above were recorded as of Tuesday morning, two of which were at least magnitude 4.0, the China Earthquake Network Center said.
About 3,000 kilometers from Jishishan in the Xinjiang region, another earthquake occurred at 9:46 local time (0146 GMT) on Tuesday, with a magnitude of about 5.5 and a depth of 10 km, the Center said.
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
