6.2 magnitude Earthquake Hits China’s Gansu Province, At Least 111 Killed

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Jishishan county, Linxia, Gansu Province, China on Monday midnight and according to news agency Xinhua, at least 111 people have died in the quake. The agency has also reported that all-out rescue work is underway braving freezing conditions to try and help people in the high-altitude area.

So far, twenty people are reported missing in the quake”s aftermath. Rescue operations have begun before sunrise. Western provinces such as Gansu, which lie on the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, is tectonically active area and hence earthquakes are common in this region. The epicenter of the latest quake was 5 km from the border between Gansu and a neighbouring province. As per the official Xinhua news agency, strong tremors were felt in many parts of Qinghai province.

China”s leader, Xi Jinping has called for “all-out efforts” in the search and rescue work. As per the report, 100 people had died in Gansu province, and another 11 in the Qinghai province city of Haidong. On Tuesday morning, the death toll has been revised to 105, and said 397 people are injured.

Han, the Gansu spokesperson has said that rescue operations are being proceeded in orderly manner and has asked the people not to travel to quake-hit regions to prevent traffic jams which may halt the rescue operations. China”s National Commission for Disaster Prevention, reduction, and Relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management have activated a level-VI disaster relief emergency.

Tents, folding beds and quilts are being sent to the disaster area, state broadcaster CCTV said. At least, 4,000 firefighters, soldiers and police officers were dispatched in the rescue effort, and the People”s Liberation Army Western Theater had set up a command post to direct its work, reports The Guardian.

Earthquakes are common in the mountainous areas of western Chinam. In August, a shallow 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck eastern China, injuring 23 people and collapsing dozens of buildings. China faced its deadliest earthquake in 2008 with a 7.9 magnitude scale resulted in killing of nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan.