A magnitude-6.2 earthquake jolted a remote and mountainous region on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau just before midnight on Monday, killing at least 118 people and injuring hundreds, according to Chinese state media.
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Authorities have swiftly mobilised an array of emergency responses after the quake wrecked roads and infrastructure, triggered landslides, and half buried a village in silt. But rescue work has proved challenging in subzero temperatures, with most of China grappling with below-freezing conditions after a powerful cold wave swept across the country. (Pic: Rescue workers conduct search and rescue operations at Kangdiao village)
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State media said the shallow tremor just before midnight had caused the deaths of at least 113 and injured more than 530 in impoverished Gansu province, as of Tuesday afternoon. A further 13 died, 182 were injured and 20 were missing in Haidong in neighbouring Qinghai province, state broadcaster CCTV reported. (In pic: A person injured in an earthquake is transferred to a hospital in China's Gansu Province.)
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Residents ran outside, huddling overnight in the freezing winter cold, while rescuers raced to look for survivors trapped under rubble. (In pic: Students gather outdoor after evacuating from their dormitories at the Lanzhou University Yuzhong campus in Lanzhou)
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The quake damaged more than 155,000 buildings and sent residents running into the freezing streets for safety. At a village near the epicentre, reporters saw huge cracks running through the exterior and interior walls of a brick home, and the roof of a building that had caved in completely. (In pic: A woman shows the damage to her home after an earthquake in Dahejia, Jishishan County in northwest China’s Gansu province on December 19, 2023.)
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Temperatures are below freezing in the high-altitude area, and rescuers should be on guard for secondary disasters, he said, according to CCTV. (In pic: People gather next to a fire on a street after an earthquake in Dahejia.
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State media reported that power and water supplies were disrupted in villages around the epicentre but that some electricity had later been restored. Hundreds of people have been evacuated in Gansu, officials said. (In pic: A woman holds a child on a street after an earthquake in Dahejia)
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Although the 72 hours after a quake are the most likely time to rescue survivors, that will be shortened by the harsh weather, with trapped victims facing higher risk. (In pic: People gather next to a fire on a street after an earthquake in Dahejia)
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Some water, electricity, transportation, communications and other infrastructure have been damaged. Power to the quake-hit area was being gradually restored, after the state grid sent 18 emergency repair teams, CCTV said. (In pic: Residents keep warm around a fire in the early morning after an earthquake in Dahejia.)
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State media footage showed fire rescue personnel combing through rubble of collapsed buildings - loose bricks have piled onto a dirt alley in a Gansu village after sliding off a damaged house, while in stronger structures walls held up but roofs had collapsed. ( In pic: Rescue workers set up tents for people evacuated after an earthquake in Dahejia)
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The quake was China's deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 people died in southwestern Yunnan province. China's western hinterland carries the scars of frequent seismic activity, and a huge quake in Sichuan province in 2008 left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, including 5,335 schoolchildren.
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