Huge China earthquake leaves over 100 dead and thousands without power in cold
A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake has struck north-western China, killing at least 111 people, according to state media reports.
The quake hit a cold and mountainous region in Gansu province and neighbouring Qinghai province, causing more than 230 injuries. Rescue operations are currently underway. The earthquake damaged houses and roads, and knocked out power and communication lines.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that 100 people died in Gansu province and another 11 in Qinghai province. The quake's epicentre was in Jishishan county, Gansu, about three miles from the provincial boundary with Qinghai. It was felt as far away as Beijing, which is about 800 miles south-west of the epicentre.
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Rescuers conduct search and rescue operations after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in China (VCG via Getty Images)Injuries were reported in both provinces, with at least 140 in Qinghai and another 96 in Gansu. However, the US Geological Survey recorded the quake's magnitude as 5.9. Infrastructure damage included water and electricity lines, as well as transportation and communications systems. The tremors were also felt in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, where university students rushed out of their dorms.
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University students in Lanzhou ran from their dormitories, according to a social media post that had images showing young people hastily leaving a building and standing outside. Many wore only their pajamas on a cold winter night, said Wang Xi, a student at the university who made the post. “The earthquake was too intense,” she said. “My legs went weak, especially when we ran downstairs from the dormitory.”
Tents, beds and quilts are being sent to the disaster area, according to CCTV. They also reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for a full search and rescue effort to keep casualties to a minimum.
Many are injured and left without power in a mountainous region in China (VCG via Getty Images)Earthquakes are not uncommon in the mountainous western region of China, which forms the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau. The overnight low in the area was minus 15 to 9 degrees Celsius (5 to 16 degrees Fahrenheit), the China Meteorological Administration said.
A video posted by the Ministry of Emergency Management showed emergency workers in orange uniforms using rods to try to move heavy pieces of what looked like concrete debris at night. Other night time videos distributed by state media showed workers lifting out a victim and helping a slightly stumbling person to walk in an area covered with light snow.
Middle school student Ma Shijun ran out of his dormitory barefoot without even putting on a coat, according to a Xinhua report. It said the strong tremors left his hands numb, and that teachers quickly organized the students on the playground.
In September last year, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in China's southwestern province of Sichuan killed at least 74 people. The quake caused landslides and shook buildings in Chengdu, where 21 million residents were under a Covid-19 lockdown.
The deadliest earthquake in China's recent history was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008. It killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan and destroyed towns, schools and rural communities outside Chengdu. This led to a years-long effort to rebuild with more resistant materials.
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