Earthquake death toll rises to 105 in China's Gansu

Rescuers get prepared for rescue operation at the earthquake-jolted Chenjia Village in Jishishan Bao'an, Dongxiang, Sala Autonomous County of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping)

JISHISHAN, Gansu Province, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted an ethnic county in northwest China's Gansu Province at midnight Monday has killed 105 people in the province, according to a local press conference held on Tuesday morning.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake jolted at 11:59 p.m. Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter Liugou Township is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan Bao'an, Dongxiang, Salar Autonomous County in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu.

The earthquake has also left 199 injured and damaged 6,381 houses in Jishishan. As of 8 a.m., 32 aftershocks were recorded, with the largest registering a magnitude of 4.0, said Han Shujun, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency management department, at the press conference.

The quake destroyed some rural roads and led to power outages and telecommunication failures in some areas. Currently, the overall road traffic, power supply and communications disrupted by the quake have been resumed after emergency repairs, he said.

The earthquake was also strongly felt in the neighboring Qinghai Province, causing 11 deaths, according to earlier reports.

Han said a medical shelter has been set up in the township health center for treating the injured, while the seriously injured people were sent to prefectural and county-level hospitals, where green channels have been launched for emergency rescue.

The first batch of relief supplies, including coats, quilts, folding beds, tents and stoves were sent to the disaster-affected area to ensure the basic necessities of the people.

The China Railway Lanzhou Group Co., Ltd. launched an emergency response in the wake of the quake, including suspending trains that were in operation in the affected area and sending personnel to check the railway lines. As of 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, the train service had been gradually resumed.

Following the earthquake, the National Health Commission dispatched a team of medical experts to the affected region. Additionally, it has mobilized emergency medical teams from various regions, including Sichuan, Shaanxi and Ningxia, to support rescue efforts in both Gansu and its neighboring province of Qinghai.