Massive Earthquake in north-western China, over 100 dead
A building damaged by an earthquake that struck northwestern China on Dec. 19, 2023, in Jishishan county in Gansu Province
An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 that struck northwestern China around midnight Monday has left 116 people dead in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai provinces, with President Xi Jinping calling for all-out search and rescue efforts, according to Chinese state-run media.
The 11:59 p.m. quake, which occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers in Gansu’s Jishishan county some 100 km southwest of the provincial capital Lanzhou, also injured several hundred people and damaged about 6,400 houses in the area, local reports said Tuesday.
Some houses have collapsed and infrastructure related to water, electricity and roads have been damaged, with several villages suffering power failures and a disruption of water and telecommunication services, state media said.
Rescue workers have been mobilized to the disaster-hit areas, with the temperature in Jishishan hitting minus 10 C on Tuesday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The U.S. Geological Survey put the temblor’s magnitude at 5.9. A total of 32 aftershocks were recorded as of 8 a.m., with the largest registering a magnitude of 4.0, Xinhua said.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen offered condolences to those who have lost loved ones in the quake, saying in a post on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, “We hope for a swift recovery. Taiwan stands ready to offer assistance in the disaster response effort.”
