Big chill hampers China quake rescue efforts
Top News | Reuters and Wallis Wang 20 Dec 2023
Rescuers are racing against time to save people trapped and injured by a magnitude-6.2 earthquake on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau just before midnight yesterday, as at least 126 people were killed, 20 remain missing and over 700 were injured.
More than 155,000 houses were damaged in China's strongest earthquake in five years, state media reported.
The authorities have mobilized an array of emergency responses, but rescue work has proved challenging in subzero temperatures, Reuters said.
Known as "the roof of the world," the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau towers over southwestern China at an average elevation of 4,000 meters above sea level and covers more than 2.5 million kilometers, the highest and largest plateau in the world.
Residents fled outdoors under freezing temperatures as low as minus-12 degrees Celsius.
At 11.59pm Monday, the quake struck Jishishan county in Gansu at a depth of 10km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The epicenter was 5km from the border between Gansu and a neighboring province, Qinghai.
President Xi Jinping instructed the authorities to exert all efforts to launch rescue work, offer timely treatment to the injured and reduce casualties.
He urged authorities to fix the damaged power, communication, transport and heating facilities soon.
About 2,200 personnel from the Gansu provincial fire department, 900 from the forest brigade and 260 emergency rescue workers, including military and police personnel, were dispatched to the disaster zone, Xinhua News reported.
The temperature in Linxia, Gansu was around minus-14 degrees yesterday morning.
The most likely time to rescue survivors is within 72 hours after a quake, however, it will be challenging due to the harsh weather conditions, rescuers said.
About 20 million yuan (HK$21.89 million) has been allocated for emergency response work. Supplies have also been sent, including 2,600 cotton tents, 10,400 folding beds, 10,400 quilts, 10,400 cotton mattresses and 1,000 sets of stoves.
Local authorities also imposed traffic restrictions into Jishishan until rescue work is done.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who is on his second trip to Beijing, said on Facebook that he has instructed the SAR government to monitor the situation and offer support via the disaster relief fund.
"I extend my deep condolences to the victims and deep sympathy to their families. I wish the injured can recover soon," he said.
Acting Chief Executive Eric Chan Kwok-ki said the administration has not received any request for assistance so far.
"The SAR government has set up the disaster relief fund so that we can act quickly in case there are requests for assistance for disasters outside Hong Kong," Chan said. "We will pay close attention to the earthquake situation in Gansu and contact various disaster relief organizations as soon as possible."
Towngas said it will donate 1 million yuan to support mainland disaster relief organizations and hopes the relief work goes smoothly.
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