- By Abhishek Sheoran
- Tue, 19 Dec 2023 07:17 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
As many as 111 persons were killed after a massive earthquake jolted the Gansu-Qinghai border region in China on Tuesday, news agency Reuters reported while citing state media. More than 230 people were injured in the mishap.
As per the Chinese state media, the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2, which occurred at a depth of 35 km (21.75 miles) with its epicentre 102 km west-southwest of Gansu's provincial capital city, Lanzhou, EMSC said.
The details about the missing haven’t yet been divulged by the officials.
Authorities have fervidly rolled out relief and rescue operations in the earthquake-hit area. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered full rescue efforts. The rural region, hit by a jolt, has a temperature below -13C (8.6F) and is one of China’s poorer areas.
The quake has caused massive damage to the infrastructure. Power and water supplies were disrupted in some local villages.
Gansu health department dispatched 33 ambulances and 173 medical staff to the region. Qinghai Province also dispatched 68 ambulances, and more than 40 provincial and municipal experts to conduct rescue operations at the scene. Medical emergency response officials and national-level experts specializing in critical care, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, and general surgery were sent to the flood-hit area by the National Health Commission, Global Times reported.
In a plethora of videos making the rounds across social media platforms, people could be seen running to and from amid utter chaos. Fallen ceilings and other debris can be seen in many videos.
Earthquakes are quite common in China. In August this year, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake injured as many as 23 persons in China, besides causing significant damage to the buildings. A 6.6-magnitude earthquake killed over 100 people in Sichuan province in September 2022.