Deadly 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northwestern China, Leaving 111 Dead and Over 200 Injured

A powerful magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck northwestern China, claiming the lives of at least 111 people, according to reports from the country’s state media on Tuesday.

The official Xinhua News Agency disclosed that 100 fatalities occurred in the province of Gansu, with an additional nine reported in the neighboring province of Qinghai. The quake occurred just before midnight on Monday, centered in Gansu’s Jishishan county, approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the provincial boundary with Qinghai.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake’s magnitude at 5.9.

More than 200 people sustained injuries, with 96 in Gansu and 124 in Qinghai, as reported by Xinhua. State broadcaster CCTV conveyed that the earthquake caused damage to water and electricity lines, transportation, and communications infrastructure.

The impact of the quake reached Lanzhou, the provincial capital of Gansu, located approximately 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) southwest of Beijing. University students in Lanzhou rushed out of their dormitories, as depicted in images shared on social media.

Tents, folding beds, and quilts are being dispatched to the disaster area, according to CCTV. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for an all-out search and rescue effort to minimize casualties.

This earthquake follows a tragic incident in September of the previous year when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck China’s southwestern province of Sichuan, resulting in at least 74 casualties. The quake triggered landslides and shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, which was under a COVID-19 lockdown at the time.

China faced its deadliest earthquake in recent years in 2008, with a 7.9 magnitude quake in Sichuan that claimed nearly 90,000 lives. The devastation prompted extensive efforts to rebuild using more resistant materials in towns, schools, and rural communities outside Chengdu.