Gansu earthquake: Over 120 killed in China's deadliest quake in 13 years

The most severe earthquake in China in 13 years has claimed the lives of at least 126 people in the north-western region. Striking mountainous Gansu province with a magnitude of 6.2 around midnight on Monday (16:00 GMT), the quake also affected neighbouring Qinghai, leaving over 700 reported injured in freezing conditions. Chinese President Xi Jinping has mobilized thousands of rescue personnel to the impoverished and culturally diverse region. State TV and social media footage on Tuesday displayed villages split by the quake, collapsed buildings, and residents in makeshift camps enduring sub-zero temperatures.

Survivors described the tremors as akin to “being tossed by surging waves,” prompting rapid evacuations. The hardest-hit Jishishan county reported more than 5,000 damaged buildings, with poor construction quality cited as a contributing factor. Gansu, positioned between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus, is one of China’s least affluent and ethnically varied areas. The quake’s epicenter, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, is home to various Chinese Muslim groups. Chinese authorities measured the quake at 6.2 on the Richter scale, while the US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 5.9. A series of aftershocks followed, and Xinjiang province also experienced a 5.5 magnitude quake on Tuesday.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by disrupted power and water supplies across the region, and the cold weather is posing challenges. President Xi emphasized the urgency of search and rescue operations, prompt medical treatment, and minimizing casualties. China, located in a seismically active region where multiple tectonic plates converge, faces a heightened risk of earthquakes. The Gansu earthquake is the deadliest since the 2010 quake in Yushu, Qinghai province.