A Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake in Gansu Province, China Leaves 118 Dead, Hundreds Injured
On December 18, 2023, tragedy struck Gansu Province, China as a magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook the region. The epicenter was located in Jishishan County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers. The official death toll, as of the afternoon of December 19th, stands at 118, with 105 deaths in Gansu and 13 deaths in Qinghai. Additionally, 182 people are injured while 20 remain missing. The earthquake was felt in Lanzhou, Gansu’s capital, and the central area will have to grapple with concerns about secondary disasters such as aftershocks and plummeting temperatures.
As rescue and relief efforts are underway, temperatures in the area are expected to drop significantly, with the lowest temperature predicted to reach -14 degrees Celsius. These frigid temperatures are causing concern for both rescue and search missions and the well-being of the victims. The low temperatures could also lead to secondary disasters, citing the poor living conditions and insufficient heating facilities.
President Xi Jinping has called for full-scale search and rescue, timely treatment of injured people, and precautionary measures against secondary disasters due to the cold weather. The China Earthquake Network has warned that there could still be strong aftershocks in the coming days, increasing the risks associated with the ongoing disaster.
Rescue operations are becoming a race against time as several organizations and companies have stepped up to provide aid. BYD, New Oriental, Hongxing Erke, Anta, Alibaba, and even Apple of the United States are among the companies that have announced significant donations to aid the disaster relief and reconstruction efforts.
The Chinese military, as well as regional governments, have also mobilized additional personnel to assist with critical tasks such as search and rescue, medical treatment, and disaster relief. However, questions regarding building infrastructure have been raised as netizens debate the scale of casualties resulting from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake.
The earthquake has brought back memories of past disasters such as the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, which killed nearly 90,000 people and caused widespread destruction. Learning from those experiences, it is crucial that proper preparations and standards for seismic resistance are implemented to mitigate the impact of future earthquakes.
Coincidentally, just 10 hours after the earthquake in Gansu, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Artush City in Xinjiang, though there have been no reports of casualties from this event.
As China lies at the intersection of the Pacific Rim Seismic Belt and the Eurasian Seismic Belt, the region is subjected to a high level of seismic activity. Since 1949, 523 earthquakes with magnitudes of 6 to 7 have occurred, with 71 major earthquakes in the range of 7 to 8, and 5 major earthquakes with magnitude 8 or above.
As the rescue and relief efforts are ongoing, the Chinese government has announced that it is crucial to remain vigilant and to adequately prepare for any potential future disasters, given China’s susceptibility to seismic activity.