89 dead, over 800 injured as quake devastates Gansu
Source: Xinhua |
July 23, 2013, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
At least 89 people have been killed and more than 800 injured when a strong earthquake shook an arid, hilly farming area in northwest China yesterday, sparking landslides and destroying or damaging thousands of brick-and-mud homes.
The quake near the city of Dingxi in Gansu Province toppled brick walls and telephone lines, shattered mud-and-tile-roofed houses and sent cascades of dirt and rock down hillsides that blocked roads and slowed rescue efforts by crews trying to reach remote areas.
As of last night, 87 people in the city of Dingxi and two in the neighboring city of Longnan had been confirmed dead in the 6.6-magnitude quake that jolted the border of Minxian and Zhangxian counties at 7:45am, the Dingxi government said.
Of the over 800 injured, 135 were said to be in a serious condition.
Villagers said the victims were mainly elderly and children.
As of 6pm yesterday, 422 aftershocks had been recorded in the region, with the strongest measuring 5.6, Chang Zhengguo, a spokesman for the provincial government, said.
An initial investigation showed that the quake had caused the collapse of more than 5,780 houses and severely damaged another 73,000 homes, he added.
Two helicopters and about 3,000 armed police, firefighters, militiamen and local government staff have been sent to the region to help with rescue efforts.
Reporters who arrived at villages in Meichuan Township in Minxian said many rural buildings had been reduced to ruins and huge cracks could be seen on the walls of houses still standing.
Zhu Wenqing, a 40-year-old farmer from Meichuan's Majiagou village, said his house survived the initial quake but eventually collapsed following seven or eight aftershocks.
He said he had just got up for the day when his house began shaking.
"I escaped immediately on hearing a 'bang' and feeling the tremors," Zhu said.
In Meichuan's Yongguang village, the quake toppled wood and earthen structures and unleashed a landslide that buried 12 residents.
Two bodies have been found and one person has been pulled out alive, but rescue efforts have been slow due to a lack of heavy digging machinery, rescuers said.
Chu Xiaoyi, a 20-year-old villager, said the landslide destroyed his house.
His family of three narrowly escaped by holding onto a utility pole.
"We were sleeping when it happened, so we ran out almost naked. Now we have nothing left and even our clothes are borrowed from neighbors," Chu said.
Many residents in Yongguan said they are concerned about the lack of food, shelter, electricity and unstable mobile phone signals after the quake damaged the county's infrastructure.
Communication in many villages in Meichuan and in 13 townships in Zhangxian has been cut off. Power has been cut off in five towns in the eastern part of Minxian.
The epicenter of the quake was monitored at 34.5 degrees north and 104.2 degrees east, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.
The earthquake happened in a fault zone that has seen 25 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater throughout history, the China Earthquake Administration said.
The strongest quake recorded in the fault zone had a magnitude of 8.0 and occurred on July 21, 1654.
That happened about 121 kilometers from the site of the latest quake, the administration said.
Locals in Minxian said yesterday's quake lasted for about one minute.
The county government said most of its townships had been affected by the quake.
It was also felt in Gansu's cities of Tianshui and Lanzhou, the provincial capital, as well as the cities of Xi'an, Baoji and Xianyang in neighboring Shaanxi Province.
Aftershocks and minor landslides with falling rocks were seen in the mountainous region following the quake, posing dangers for rescuers arriving in quake-hit villages.
In Meichuan, local residents were working to repair a road connecting the township with Majiagou, but vehicles are still unable to get into the village.
Drinking water supplies have not been affected, although food is scarce, local resident Bao Xuefeng said.
The weather forecast station of the provincial capital of Lanzhou has issued a red alert for rainstorms, forecasting that heavy rain would arrive late last night in Dingxi.
Train services on a major railway line have been suspended because of heavy rain and landslides that have occurred since Sunday.
Landslides caused by the torrential rain have damaged railways, disrupting traffic on railway links between Longxi County and the city of Tianshui.
An official with the Lanzhou Railway Bureau said it was not confirmed yet when operations would resume, adding that the delivery of quake-relief goods has not been affected, as rail transportation remains intact between Lanzhou, Dingxi and Longxi County.
The Lanzhou Railway Bureau has initiated an emergency response to guarantee the safety of railway bridges and communication facilities.
The Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth said the quake has affected over 900,000 people so far.
The quake near the city of Dingxi in Gansu Province toppled brick walls and telephone lines, shattered mud-and-tile-roofed houses and sent cascades of dirt and rock down hillsides that blocked roads and slowed rescue efforts by crews trying to reach remote areas.
As of last night, 87 people in the city of Dingxi and two in the neighboring city of Longnan had been confirmed dead in the 6.6-magnitude quake that jolted the border of Minxian and Zhangxian counties at 7:45am, the Dingxi government said.
Of the over 800 injured, 135 were said to be in a serious condition.
Villagers said the victims were mainly elderly and children.
As of 6pm yesterday, 422 aftershocks had been recorded in the region, with the strongest measuring 5.6, Chang Zhengguo, a spokesman for the provincial government, said.
An initial investigation showed that the quake had caused the collapse of more than 5,780 houses and severely damaged another 73,000 homes, he added.
Two helicopters and about 3,000 armed police, firefighters, militiamen and local government staff have been sent to the region to help with rescue efforts.
Reporters who arrived at villages in Meichuan Township in Minxian said many rural buildings had been reduced to ruins and huge cracks could be seen on the walls of houses still standing.
Zhu Wenqing, a 40-year-old farmer from Meichuan's Majiagou village, said his house survived the initial quake but eventually collapsed following seven or eight aftershocks.
He said he had just got up for the day when his house began shaking.
"I escaped immediately on hearing a 'bang' and feeling the tremors," Zhu said.
In Meichuan's Yongguang village, the quake toppled wood and earthen structures and unleashed a landslide that buried 12 residents.
Two bodies have been found and one person has been pulled out alive, but rescue efforts have been slow due to a lack of heavy digging machinery, rescuers said.
Chu Xiaoyi, a 20-year-old villager, said the landslide destroyed his house.
His family of three narrowly escaped by holding onto a utility pole.
"We were sleeping when it happened, so we ran out almost naked. Now we have nothing left and even our clothes are borrowed from neighbors," Chu said.
Many residents in Yongguan said they are concerned about the lack of food, shelter, electricity and unstable mobile phone signals after the quake damaged the county's infrastructure.
Communication in many villages in Meichuan and in 13 townships in Zhangxian has been cut off. Power has been cut off in five towns in the eastern part of Minxian.
The epicenter of the quake was monitored at 34.5 degrees north and 104.2 degrees east, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.
The earthquake happened in a fault zone that has seen 25 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater throughout history, the China Earthquake Administration said.
The strongest quake recorded in the fault zone had a magnitude of 8.0 and occurred on July 21, 1654.
That happened about 121 kilometers from the site of the latest quake, the administration said.
Locals in Minxian said yesterday's quake lasted for about one minute.
The county government said most of its townships had been affected by the quake.
It was also felt in Gansu's cities of Tianshui and Lanzhou, the provincial capital, as well as the cities of Xi'an, Baoji and Xianyang in neighboring Shaanxi Province.
Aftershocks and minor landslides with falling rocks were seen in the mountainous region following the quake, posing dangers for rescuers arriving in quake-hit villages.
In Meichuan, local residents were working to repair a road connecting the township with Majiagou, but vehicles are still unable to get into the village.
Drinking water supplies have not been affected, although food is scarce, local resident Bao Xuefeng said.
The weather forecast station of the provincial capital of Lanzhou has issued a red alert for rainstorms, forecasting that heavy rain would arrive late last night in Dingxi.
Train services on a major railway line have been suspended because of heavy rain and landslides that have occurred since Sunday.
Landslides caused by the torrential rain have damaged railways, disrupting traffic on railway links between Longxi County and the city of Tianshui.
An official with the Lanzhou Railway Bureau said it was not confirmed yet when operations would resume, adding that the delivery of quake-relief goods has not been affected, as rail transportation remains intact between Lanzhou, Dingxi and Longxi County.
The Lanzhou Railway Bureau has initiated an emergency response to guarantee the safety of railway bridges and communication facilities.
The Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth said the quake has affected over 900,000 people so far.
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