At least 116, according to other sources 118, people were killed and hundreds were injured as a result of an earthquake in northwest China; Rescue teams continue to search for people under the rubble in sub-zero temperatures.
Details: An earthquake occurred around midnight in Gansu province. As of the morning of December 19, the earthquake had killed 105 people and damaged more than 4,700 homes in the province. In the neighboring province of Qinghai – 11 dead.
At least 397 more people in Gansu were injured: 16 of them in critical condition and 76 in serious condition.
Reuters names a larger number of victims – according to the publication, at least 118 people have already died, another 20 people are considered missing.
The magnitude of the quake was 5.9 at a shallow depth of just over 6 miles (less than 10 km), according to the US Geological Survey. The Chinese Earthquake Administration gave a higher rating of 6.2 points.
The tremors lasted almost 20 seconds and were felt in the provincial capital of Lanzhou, 102 kilometers from the epicenter.
1,600 firefighters were involved in the rescue operation.
The earthquake has cut off water, electricity and mobile communications in some areas, hampering rescue efforts.
At night, when people ran out of their houses to escape the earthquake, it was -14 degrees Celsius outside.
#China #rocked #powerful #earthquake #people #died
2023-12-19 07:23:00
