An earthquake leaves more than 100 dead and many injured in the northwest of the country

Hey An earthquake struck northwest ChinaAnd I felt it Close to midnightlocal time, which surprised residents. The magnitude of the earthquake was 5.9, its depth was about 10 kilometers, and it is considered shallow according to the US Geological Survey (US Geological Survey). But the China Seismic Network Center (CENC) gave a slightly higher reading: A Magnitude 6.2. The tremor lasted about 20 seconds and was felt by residents of an area about 100 kilometers northeast of the epicenter.

The earthquake causes destruction and deaths

The earthquake that was considered The deadliest in the country in 9 yearsmainly affected Gansu and Qinghai provinces, and left the least 129 dead and hundreds woundedIn addition to a number of destroyed homes. Emergency teams are racing against time to rescue survivors from under the rubble in extremely cold weather. Temperatures below zero degrees Celsius.

In Jixishan County, Gansu The earthquake damaged many homes and roadsCCTV said that 113 people were killed and 536 were injured. So far, rescue teams have pulled out 67 people from the rubble and carried out an operation to evacuate 685 others from the province. In Qinghai, 13 people have died so far, 182 others have been injured, and 20 are still missing due to the landslide.

Hey Water and electricity supply, as well as Internet and communications services In some governorate areas It has been hackedThis made rescue operations difficult. According to local authorities, at least 4,000 firefighters, police officers and soldiers were sent to Gansu, carrying tents, folding beds, blankets and portable stoves.

In Dahe Village, one of the worst-hit areas in Gansu, many homes were at risk of collapse and more 155,000 have already been damaged or destroyed completely. In both Gansu and Qinghai provinces there were Landslides, collapsed structures and roads were destroyed.

The event takes place in the middle of a Severe cold weather the country is witnessing. CCTV reported on Tuesday (19) that the lowest temperature was recorded overnight In Jishan, the temperature was 14 degrees below zero. Wang Duo, one of the volunteers involved in the rescue operations, told the state channel China Newsweek These temperatures represent the “biggest challenge” for rescue operations, because they shorten the period (the first 72 hours) to find survivors.

Ma Wenchang, a resident, said: “I am 70 years old and have never felt such a strong earthquake in my life. I cannot stay in this house anymore because the situation is too dangerous. My relatives have been moved to another place.” Qinghai residents.

According to the government news agency XinhuaChinese President Xi Jinping said that the authorities are “doing their best” to search for survivors and treat the injured. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management were allocated 200 million yuan (About 137 million riyals) For damage management in Gansu and Qinghai.

Secondary earthquakes

Hey Epicenter Located near The border between Gansu and Qinghai, a mountainous region at the eastern end of the Tibetan Plateau. According to CENC, the first tremor followed Nine minor earthquakes about 10 hours later Of the initial earthquake – the largest recorded in strength 4.1.

Video clips spread on social media show the moment of the earthquake, as shown below:

You Earthquakes are relatively common in the mountainous region of northwest China. In September of that year, 93 people were killed in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southwestern Sichuan Province.