China: 6.2 magnitude earthquake leaves over 100 dead

At least 111 people were killed and more than 230 were left injured after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit northwestern China on Monday, 18 December.

The quake claimed 100 lives in the province of Gansu and another 11 in the neighboring province of Qinghai, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

No official reports have mentioned the number of missing people.

The quake struck Gansu's Jishishan county at 11:59 p.m. local time (1559 GMT) on Monday, 18 December.

The epicenter of the quake was 102 kilometers (63 miles) west-southwest of Gansu's provincial capital city, Lanzhou, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

It hit at a depth of 35 kilometers.

Early on Tuesday, 19 December another earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck China's northwestern Xinjiang region, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said.

Rescue operations underway

The earthquake damaged some water and electricity lines and disrupted transportation and communications in the affected regions. However, officials have not shared more details.

A team has been appointed to assess the extent of damage and provide suggestions for local relief operations. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out search and rescue effort to minimize the casualties, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV.

The Ministry of Emergency Management in China has activated a level-IV disaster relief emergency, state news-agency Xinhua reported. About 2,200 rescue workers as well as professional emergency rescue teams have been sent to the disaster zone, according to Xinhua. 

The affected area is a mountainous region where it is more difficult to provide aid and requires efforts to prevent secondary disasters caused by factors beyond the quake, Xinhua said.