A shallow earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale struck overnight near the border between Gansu and Qinghai provinces, sending people running onto the streets.
While many people were sleeping, an earthquake struck northwestern China, killing more than 100 people.
The magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck around midnight in Gansu province near the border with Qinghai province, causing severe damage, state media reported on Tuesday.
The quake was also felt in Xi’an, in northern Shaanxi province, about 570 kilometers from the epicenter.
Gansu provincial authorities announced at a press conference that as of 7:50 a.m. (23:50 p.m. local time on Monday), 105 people were confirmed dead and 397 injured. More than 4,700 homes were damaged, they added. According to Xinhua news agency, electricity and water supplies were disrupted in some villages.
At least 11 people were also killed in Haidong city, Qinghai province, according to CCTV. Haidong is located near the epicenter, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province.
People living near the epicenter rushed out onto the streets as they felt the tremors. Several buildings collapsed.
“I live on the 16th floor and I felt a very strong shaking,” a man named Qin told the state-run Global Times newspaper. “At the moment of the earthquake, I felt like I was being swept up by a wave…I woke up my family and ran down all 16 floors at once.
The temperature was -12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit), Hata said, adding that while some neighbors were wearing down jackets or wrapped in blankets, others were shirtless.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” in search and rescue operations, and rescue efforts were underway. State media said nearly 1,500 firefighters were on the scene, with another 1,500 on standby. More than 300 officers and soldiers were also mobilized for disaster relief.
Supplies such as drinking water, blankets, stoves, and instant noodles were also sent to the affected areas.
State television footage showed emergency vehicles driving down a snow-covered highway and rescue workers side by side inside trucks.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a magnitude of 5.9, while the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said it had a magnitude of 6.1.
The quake struck at 11:59 pm local time (15:59 GMT) on Monday at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) and was initially reported to have a magnitude of 6.0, according to the USGS. Multiple aftershocks were reported.
Gansu Province has a population of approximately 26 million people and includes part of the Gobi Desert.
Earthquakes are not uncommon in China.
In September 2022, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Sichuan province, killing about 100 people.
The magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck Sichuan province in 2008 left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, including 5,335 children who were attending school at the time of the earthquake.
At least 242,000 people were killed in the 1976 earthquake that hit Tangshan, the worst natural disaster in Chinese history.
