According to state media reports, a powerful earthquake struck north-west China on Monday night, resulting in the death of at least 111 individuals and leaving another 220 injured. The earthquake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, occurred in Gansu province and caused significant damage to buildings in both Gansu and Qinghai provinces. Despite freezing conditions, emergency workers are tirelessly working to provide assistance in the high-altitude area. Additionally, a second earthquake struck Xinjiang, a neighboring region, several hours later on Tuesday. The extent of the damage caused by this 5.5 magnitude quake is currently unknown. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered comprehensive rescue efforts to be carried out in Gansu, which is considered one of the country’s poorest regions. Gansu is situated between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus and shares a border with Mongolia. The affected area, the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, is an administrative region for China’s Muslim Hui people. The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9 and occurred at a depth of 10km (six miles). Footage shows rescue teams searching through the debris of collapsed buildings, with some rooms having partially collapsed ceilings. The government has dispatched rescue teams to support local emergency crews. President Xi emphasized the importance of conducting search and rescue operations, providing timely medical treatment to the injured, and minimizing casualties. According to Xinhua, the state media agency, as of Tuesday morning, 100 people have been reported dead and 96 injured in Gansu, while 11 deaths and 124 injuries have been reported in Qinghai. Power and water supplies have also been disrupted in certain parts of the region. China is located in a seismically active area where multiple tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, Indian, and Pacific plates, converge, making it susceptible to earthquakes. In September of last year, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province claimed the lives of over 60 individuals. The Gansu earthquake of 1920, which resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people, is also recognized as one of the deadliest earthquakes of the 20th century.
