1. Deadly earthquake hits Gansu-Qinghai border region in China.
2. Toll rises to at least 111 lives lost and over 230 injured.
3. Conflicting reports on magnitude, with European and Chinese sources differing.
Beijing, Dec 19: A devastating earthquake struck the Gansu-Qinghai border region in China, resulting in a tragic toll of at least 111 lives lost and over 230 people injured, according to reports from state media.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.1, while Chinese state media reported it as 6.2.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 35 km, with its epicenter located 102 km west-southwest of Gansu’s provincial capital city, Lanzhou, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
The official Xinhua news agency stated that the epicenter was 5 km from the border between the two northwestern provinces, causing strong tremors in various parts of Qinghai province.
Reports have not yet confirmed if there are any missing individuals in the aftermath of the earthquake. The official response to the disaster has been swift, with China’s National Commission for Disaster Prevention, reduction, and Relief, along with the Ministry of Emergency Management, activating a level-IV disaster relief emergency.
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Given that the affected area is in a high-altitude region with cold weather, rescue efforts are focusing on preventing secondary disasters caused by factors beyond the quake.
The temperature in Linxia, Gansu, near the quake’s epicenter, was around minus 14 degrees Celsius on the morning of the incident. China, in general, is facing freezing temperatures as a cold wave persists across the country.
The earthquake has resulted in damage to some critical infrastructure, including water, electricity, transportation, and communications, although specific details have not been provided.
Rescue and relief operations are in progress, with a working group dispatched to assess the impact of the disaster and guide local relief efforts.
Preliminary analysis indicates that the earthquake was a thrust-type rupture, and it is one of three above magnitude 6 to have occurred within 200 km of the epicenter since 1900, according to state television CCTV.
A series of aftershocks, totaling nine at magnitude 3.0 and above, were recorded before dawn on Tuesday, adding further challenges to the ongoing rescue efforts.
