Authorities have deployed over a thousand firefighters and emergency personnel to the disaster area
Students gather after evacuating from their dormitories at Lanzhou University Yuzhong 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 neighboring Qinghai Province has reported at least 11 fatalities. The powerful jolt damaged thousands of homes as well as roads, plumbing and electricity lines, according to local media.
Authorities have sent dozens of ambulances and hundreds of rescue personnel to help the victims and deal with the aftermath of the quake. As of 6:30am on Tuesday, the number of those treated for various injuries had grown to 300 people, according to the Global Times.
Chinese President 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 News Agency.
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