China Earthquake Highlights: Death toll at 127, over 700 injured

Residents of China's Gansu province are set in for a freezing night due to sub zero temperature in the region, which has been devastated due to the earthquake that hit on Monday, reported news agency AFP. Some of the residents have decided to spend the night out in the open due to fear of aftershocks and due to extensive damage to homes.

The epicentre of the magnitude-6.2 earthquake was between the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The epicentre of the earthquake Liugou township is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan Bao'an, Dongxiang, Sala autonomous county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in Gansu, reported news agency PTI. The focal depth of the earthquake was 10 kilometres.

More than 700 are injured due to the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that hit northwestern China on Monday, reported news agency PTI. While 536 people were injured in Gansu, 182 people were wounded and 20 others missing in Qinghai, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The earthquake has damaged 155,393 houses in Gansu province where more than 100 people have lost their lives.

As per reports, China is using its Wing Loong-2H large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the rescue operations after magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck northwestern China on Monday.

The devastating earthquake has mainly affected Gansu and Qinghai provinces in the country. More than 100 people have died in the Gansu province and more than one lakh homes in the region have suffered damages.

Gansu province in northwestern China is prone to earthquakes. The region had suffered a magnitude 6.6 earthquake nearly 10 years ago in July 2013. 95 people had died in the disaster at that time.

Check out this list of devastating earthquakes that hit China in past 10 years, according to report by AP.

— April 2013: A magnitude 7.0 earthquake kills 196 people in Sichuan.

— July 2013: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake kills 95 people in Gansu province.

— Aug. 2014: A magnitude 6.1 earthquake kills 617 people in Yunnan province.

— Sept. 2022: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake kills 93 people in Sichuan.

— Dec. 2023: A magnitude 6.2 earthquake kills at least 126 people in Gansu and Qinghai provinces.

Death toll due to earthquake in northwest China has been climbing steadily since rescue operations began. 127 have died due to the calamity so far, according to a report by AFP. The magnitude-6.2 earthquake is China's deadliest one in years.

Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwaar ul Haq Kakar expressed grief over the damages and loss of lives in China due to the earthquake. Kakar posted a message on X(formerly Twitter) expressing his sympathies.

More than 155,000 homes in Gansu have got either damaged or destroyed, reported Reuters. In Gansu, 113 have been killed as of 1:00 p.m. Tuesday (0500 GMT), and 536 injured, as per the authorities. Many of the houses in the region are built from earth and clay.

"I've lived for more than 80 years and had never seen such a big earthquake," said an old man who was being carried out of his damaged home by rescuers.

Gansu province is located in northwestern China. It is among the poorest provinces in the country and located at high altitude where temperature can be sub zero in the winter. The eastern part of Gansu is known to be prone to earthquakes in China. Mongolia border lies to the north of Gansu.

Due to the magnitude-6.2 earthquake that struck northwestern China on Monday, water, electricity, transportation, communications and other infrastructure have been damaged. The earthquake also triggered landslides in some areas which destroyed highways and rural roads.

A total of nine aftershocks at magnitude 3.0 and above were recorded by Tuesday morning, two of which were at least 4.0 in magnitude, reported Reuters.

With increased rescue efforts, authorities are finding increasing number of injured and dead people in the rubble of devastated homes and properties in China's rural Gansu. According to a report by Reuters, more than 100 deaths has taken place in the region alone.

According to reports, the Gansu province is facing sub zero temperatures to about -15C, which is affecting rescue efforts. The region has old houses, some of which are made of clay and mud. Due to the high magnitude of the quake, many houses have been extensively damaged.

According to a report by AP, the earthquake that has hit northwestern China is the deadliest one in the country in a decade. There has been extensive damage and loss of lives in the Gansu province and Qinghai.

China's finance ministry and emergency management ministry on Tuesday allocated 200 million yuan ($28 million) in natural disaster relief funds to earthquake-hit Gansu and Qinghai provinces, state television CCTV reported.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen expressed condolences to China on Tuesday and offered her government's help after an earthquake killed more than 100 people on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Tensions between Taipei and Beijing, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory, have soared in the past four years, as China seeks to assert its sovereignty claims with political and military pressure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his "deep" condolences to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping after an earthquake left at least 118 dead in northwest China, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

"In Russia, we share the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the disaster and hope for a speedy recovery for all those injured," said Putin in a message addressed to Xi, according to a statement from the Kremlin.

The first batch of relief material arrived at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday in the quake-hit town of Dahejia in Jishishan County, northwest China's Gansu Province to provide makeshift shelters for affected people, CGTN reported on Tuesday.

Water, electricity, transportation, and communications network have been damaged due to earthquake that struck China on Monday. Power to the quake-hit area was being gradually restored, after the state grid sent 18 emergency repair teams, CCTV said. At noon local time, about 88% of the power supply had been restored in Jishishan.

A magnitude-6.2 quake struck northwest China's Gansu Province at midnight on Monday. At 8:46 a.m., two trapped people were rescued and transferred by rescue workers in the fourth community of Dahejia Village, Dahejia Town in Jishishan County, Chinese news channel CGTN reported on Tuesday.

Powerful earthquake in China kills over 110. See pictures here

Search and rescue operations are underway after a magnitude-6.2 earthquake northwest China on Monday. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers and has resulted in the tragic loss of at least 116 lives, along with significant damage to local infrastructure.

Efforts are underway to provide relief and assistance to those affected by the disaster. Search and rescue teams are working diligently to locate and assist survivors, while also addressing the immediate needs of the affected population. The earthquake has left a considerable impact on the region, prompting a coordinated response to manage the aftermath and provide support to the affected communities.

CCTV camera footage purportedly captured the moment a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit Jishishan county, Linxia, in China's Gansu Province on Monday midnight. At least 116 people were killed when an earthquake collapsed buildings in northwest China, state media reported Tuesday, as rescue workers raced to start digging through rubble in freezing conditions. Read More here

At least 116 people were killed and nearly 400 others injured when a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces, a remote mountainous region, just before midnight, the local earthquake relief headquarters said on Tuesday. Read More

At least 118 people were killed in Gansu & Qinghai provinces after a massive earthquake hit northwestern China. The quake was of 6.2 magnitude.