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CatastropheChina

China: 6.2 magnitude earthquake leaves over 100 dead

December 19, 2023

Hundreds more were injured in the quake that hit northwestern China's mountainous region. A small earthquake hit neighboring Xinjiang province early on Tuesday.

https://p.dw.com/p/4aJtY
Rescue workers conduct search and rescue operations at Kangdiao village following the earthquake in Jishishan county
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an all-out rescue effortImage: Wang Xi/AP Photo/picture alliance

The death toll in northwestern China has risen to at least 127 after a devastating 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the region on Monday. 

Hundreds of people were also injured when the quake, China's deadliest in more than decade, hit Gansu's Jishishan county at 11:59 p.m. local time (1559 GMT) damaging some 6,000 houses, roads and other infrastructure.

Its epicenter was 102 kilometers (63 miles) west-southwest of Gansu's provincial capital city, Lanzhou, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). It struck at a depth of 35 kilometers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged an "all-out" search and rescue effort to minimize casualties.

The quake claimed 105 lives in the province of Gansu and another 13 in the neighboring province of Qinghai, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Early on Tuesday, another earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck China's northwestern Xinjiang region, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said.

China allocates $28m for rescue effort

The earthquake damaged some water and electricity lines and disrupted transportation and communications in the affected regions. 

A team has been appointed to assess the extent of damage and provide suggestions for local relief operations. 

China's Finance Ministry and the Emergency Management Ministry on Tuesday allocated 200 million yuan (€25.8 million, $28 million) in natural disaster relief funds to earthquake-hit Gansu and Qinghai provinces, state media reported.

Collapsed buildings are seen after an earthquake in Dahejia, Jishishan County, in northwest China's Gansu province
People were left out in the freezing cold after the earthquake forced them to flee their homesImage: STR/AFP/Getty Images

About 2,200 rescue workers as well as professional emergency rescue teams have been sent to the disaster zone, according to state news agency Xinhua. 

The affected area is a mountainous region where it is more difficult to provide aid and requires efforts to prevent secondary disasters caused by factors beyond the quake, Xinhua said.

Taiwan offers to assist China

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen offered her government's help to China, conveying her "sincere condolences" to all those who had lost loved ones.

The offer was made despite increasing tensions between Taiwan and China, which claims the island as its own.

"We pray that all those affected receive the aid they need, and we hope for a swift recovery. Taiwan stands ready to offer assistance in the disaster response effort," the president wrote on Twitter, writing in English and simplified Chinese characters, which are used in China but not Taiwan.

lo,mfi/ab (AP, Reuters)