According to Chinese media, the death toll from the 118 Richter earthquake that struck southwest China has reached 6,2. The 105 dead were recorded in the Gansu region, where the epicenter of the earthquake was, and the remaining 13 in the neighboring Qinghai province.
According to the same report, 550 are injured, 20 are missing, while 5.000 houses are estimated to have been destroyed.
Footage of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred in China's Gansu province. pic.twitter.com/tuHXnu0Z7n
— gdh news (@gdhnews) December 19, 2023
The operation of the rescue crews is carried out in very difficult conditions as the temperature in the area is -15 degrees Celsius.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the intensification of rescue efforts and the urgent care of the injured in order to minimize casualties.
4.000 firefighters, soldiers and police are involved in the operation in the affected areas.
#Update The death toll of the 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Northwest China's Gansu province has risen to 105. pic.twitter.com/Dd3wnyXU6Z
- China Daily (@ChinaDaily) December 19, 2023
The region where the magnitude 6,2 quake struck has a history of deadly tremors, with the deadliest in 2008 when a magnitude 8 earthquake in Sichuan killed 70.000 people. Sichuan was hit by a magnitude 6,8 in 2022 and 74 people had died by then.
Source: protothema.gr