China is hit by another earthquake. An overnight earthquake in the northwestern province of Gansu killed more than 100 people. Dozens more were injured, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday, citing the provincial earthquake relief center. Eleven people were also killed and more than 100 injured in the city of Haidong in neighboring Qinghai province.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.9 according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), caused significant damage; Houses collapsed, forcing residents to flee into the streets, state agency New China said.
Some villages without water or electricity
Rescue operations were underway on Tuesday morning, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for “all-out efforts” in search and rescue operations.
Videos posted on social media show destroyed ceilings and rubble. According to the Chine Nouvelle agency, water and electricity supplies were interrupted in some villages. Immediately after the earthquake, authorities sent emergency workers to the area and provincial leaders were also on the way, the agency reported.
Frequent earthquakes in China
The earthquake struck at 11:59 p.m. Monday at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, according to the USGS, which revised the magnitude down from 6.0 after the initial announcement. The earthquake struck about 100 kilometers southwest of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, and was followed by several smaller aftershocks.
Earthquakes are relatively common in China. In August, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake in the east of the country injured 23 people and destroyed dozens of buildings. In September 2022, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Sichuan province killed 100 people.