Survivors of China's earthquake, which a new count says killed at least 134 people, huddled in makeshift tents on Wednesday as a record cold wave raged across the north of the country.
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“Search and rescue operations were generally completed yesterday,” an official from Gansu's emergency management department said at a news conference on Wednesday. “The main task now is to treat the injured and house the homeless.”
AFP
The earthquake, which also injured nearly a thousand people, according to the state-run Xinhua agency, is the worst in the country since 2014, when more than 600 people died in Yunnan (southwest).
AFP
AFP journalists saw families sheltering in tents made of wooden poles and tarpaulins near a mosque in Jishishan county in northwestern Gansu province, near the epicenter of the earthquake that struck on Monday night.
A woman who sought shelter in one of these tents spoke of her fear of returning home. “We can't go back, it's too dangerous,” she told AFP, refusing to give her name. “All the bricks and tiles inside could collapse at any time.”
AFP
The earthquake, China's deadliest in eight years, claimed many lives in Gansu province but also claimed victims in neighboring Qinghai province. Thirteen people were still missing in Qinghai as of 4 p.m. (8 a.m. GMT), according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Pope Francis extended his “thoughts to the victims and injured of the devastating earthquake” and said he was “close to the suffering population through affection and prayer.”
AFP
“I encourage the relief services and invoke the blessing of the Almighty for all so that he may ease their pain,” the pope added during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.
In Gansu province alone, 87,000 people were moved to “temporary accommodation,” according to CCTV.
AFP
For families forced to sleep outside, outdoor stoves and blankets hastily collected from their damaged homes are the only sources of heat.
AFP
In Liugou township, residents huddle in large tents set up by local authorities on a basketball court.
Some tents hold up to 35 people, one resident told AFP. Children lie under the covers playing with their cell phones while adults try to make instant noodles provided by the authorities, although in still limited quantities
AFP
“Our family consists of eight people, but the rescue personnel only gave us three portions of instant noodles last night,” said Ma, a student. “We can't do anything. We can't go back home now,” she added.
Polar temperatures
AFP also saw rescue teams unloading large packages of equipment, including additional tents.
AFP
Thirty hours after the disaster, the hope of finding any survivors seems slim given the polar cold in the region. Temperatures in Jishishan were expected to drop to -17°C on Wednesday.
AFP
A record-breaking cold wave is currently shaking northern China. In a city in Shanxi Province, the thermometer fell significantly to -33.2°C on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Thousands of firefighters and rescue workers were sent to the disaster areas. According to Chinese state media, 2,500 tents, 20,000 coats and 5,000 folding beds were sent to Gansu province.
The earthquake struck between Monday and Tuesday shortly before midnight about 1,300 km southwest of Beijing. The quake had a magnitude of 6.2, according to China News (5.9 according to the United States Geological Survey USGS), and was followed by numerous weaker aftershocks.
Chinese authorities have warned that new earthquakes measuring more than magnitude 5 are possible in the coming days.
China is regularly the scene of earthquakes, which are sometimes very deadly: in 2008, a powerful earthquake in Sichuan province (central west) left more than 87,000 dead or missing, including 5,335 school children.