According to reports by state media, an earthquake struck the Gansu-Qinghai border region of China today, leaving at least 111 people dead and over 230 injured.
The earthquake’s magnitude was estimated by the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at 6.1. The magnitude of the earthquake was reported as 6.2 by Chinese official media.
The epicentre of the earthquake was located 102 km west-southwest of Lanzhou, the provincial capital of Gansu, and it struck at a depth of 35 km (21.75 miles), according to EMSC. Regarding the aftermath of the earthquake, official reports have not indicated if there are any missing persons.
The epicentre of the earthquake, according to the official Xinhua news agency, was 5 kilometers from the border between the two northwest provinces. Strong tremors were felt throughout Qinghai province.
A level-IV disaster relief emergency has been declared by China’s Ministry of Emergency Management and National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction, and Relief, according to Xinhua.
Rescue operations are attempting to avert secondary disasters brought on by causes other than the earthquake, according to Xinhua, because the disaster area is in a cold, high-altitude climate.
This morning, the temperature in Linxia, Gansu, which is close to the epicenter of the earthquake, was approximately minus 14 degrees Celsius (6.8°F). A cold wave that began last week is still sweeping across most of China, leaving most areas in subfreezing temperatures.
Although officials withheld additional information, some infrastructure, including communications, transportation, electricity, and water, has been damaged.
According to state media, rescue and relief efforts are underway, and a working group has been sent to evaluate the disaster’s effects and offer recommendations for local relief efforts.
According to state television CCTV, preliminary analysis reveals that the earthquake was a thrust-type rupture, one of three above magnitude 6 that have occurred within 200 kilometers of the epicentre since 1900.
Before dawn today, nine aftershocks with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher were recorded, according to CCTV. * Reuters
