DAHEJIA, Dec 20: The death toll from China’s recent earthquake has reached 131, making it the deadliest since 2014.
According to state broadcast CCTV, the quake primarily affected northwestern Gansu province, claiming at least 113 lives, while neighbouring Qinghai reported 18 casualties.
Rescue efforts are hindered by freezing temperatures, with survivors facing bitter cold conditions with temperature at the epicenter in Gansu’s Jishishan county are expected to dip as low as -17 degrees Celsius (1.4 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, as they await assistance.
A temporary shelter has been established in front of a mosque in Jishishan County in northwest China’s Gansu province, and disaster relief workers are rushing to provide tents for those affected by the tragedy.
CCTV stated that the treatment and rescue for the injured as well as emergency infrastructure repair are ongoing.
The US Geological Survey said Monday night’s magnitude-5.9 quake struck at a shallow depth at 11:59 pm local time (1559 GMT) with an epicenter around 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Gansu’s provincial capital, Lanzhou.
Dozens of smaller aftershocks followed and officials warned that tremors with a magnitude of more than 5.0 were possible in the next few days. – TVS
