China earthquake: Massive 6.1 magnitude tremor rocks north-west province - dozens dead and injured
China earthquake: Massive 6.1 magnitude tremor rocks north-west province - dozens dead and injured
Reuters
An earthquake has struck a north-west province of China, leaving over 100 dead.
According to reports by state media, the earthquake took place on the Gansu-Qinghai border region, killing at least 111 people and injuring more than 230.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed footage of search and rescue workers digging through rubble and looking through damaged areas with flashlights.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) had placed the earthquake at magnitude 6.1.
A search and rescue operation is underway
Reuters
EMSC reports that the quake occurred at a depth of 35 km (21.75 miles) with its epicentre 102 km west-southwest of Gansu's provincial capital city, Lanzhou.
Official reports have not stated whether there are any missing people in the quake's aftermath.
There have been reports of damage to water and electricity lines, as well as transportation and communications infrastructure.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has told officials "all efforts should be made to carry out search and rescue, treat the injured in a timely manner, and minimise casualties".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
A search and rescue operation is now underway in the Gansu-Qinghai border region
Getty
Authorities said some people are missing following a landslide in Qinghai. The mudslide in a village left many houses half-covered in brown silt.
Rescuers have deployed drones, excavators and bulldozers to find and rescue survivors, local media reported.
Tremors were felt as far as 1,000km away in central Henan province, where local media outlets shared videos of furniture swaying in people’s homes.
CCTV reported that a major hydropower dam 50km from the epicentre, on the upper Yellow River, was operating normally.
The 6.2 magnitude earthquake was China’s deadliest since 2008 when a much more powerful 7.9-magnitude quake struck Sichuan, killing more than 90,000.
The Xinhua news agency reported about 2,200 personnel from the Gansu provincial fire department and 900 from the forest brigade, as well as 260 professional emergency rescue workers, were dispatched to the disaster zone.
It added that hundreds from the military and police were also deployed.
The province has been allocated 20m yuan ($2.8million) for emergency response work and sent supplies that included 2,600 cotton tents, 10,400 folding beds, 10,400 quilts, 10,400 cotton mattresses, and 1,000 sets of stoves.