Beijing: At least 116 were killed in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in northwest China’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces. It has been reported that 105 died in the province of Gansu and another 11 in neighbouring Qinghai province in the earthquake, which occurred late on Monday night.
Search and rescue operations were underway in Gansu province and Qinghai province of China. The earthquake left more than 230 people injured, damaged houses and roads, and knocked out power and communication lines, according to the media reports.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) says that the intensity of the earthquake on the Richter scale was 5.9 and the depth was 10 km. The earthquake caused extensive damage to many buildings in Gansu and Qinghai provinces. Efforts are continuing to rescue people buried under the debris of collapsed buildings.
Local authorities in China’s Gansu province said, as of 7:50am, 105 were killed in a magnitude-6.2 earthquake and over 4,700 houses were damaged. As of 9:30am, the quake had injured 397, they said at a news conference. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers at 11:59pm local time Monday, according to the USGS, which revised the magnitude downward after initially reporting 6.0.
Officials launched an emergency response and dispatched rescue personnel to the area just after the quake, and provincial leaders were also en route, Xinhua reported.
According to USGS, the earthquake occurred some 100 kilometres southwest of Gansu province’s capital, Lanzhou, and was followed by several smaller aftershocks.
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued important instructions regarding the earthquake, demanding full-scale search and rescue efforts, proper resettlement of affected people, and maximum efforts to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.
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