In the aftermath of China’s deadliest earthquake in years, which struck on Monday night, survivors are battling injuries and grappling with the destruction of their homes. The death toll has climbed to 135, with almost 1,000 individuals reported injured across Qinghai and neighboring Gansu province.
At the Jishishan County People’s Hospital in Gansu, close to the quake’s epicenter, medical teams are tirelessly attending to survivors with varying degrees of injuries. In visibly damaged buildings, doctors are administering intravenous drips and examining X-rays. One patient, a middle-aged woman awaiting surgery on her injured leg, expressed her concerns, stating, “I really want to go home, but my place has been destroyed, so I wonder where I can go.”
A sense of unease pervades the affected areas as people grapple with the aftermath of the disaster. A Jishishan county official revealed, “People are still worried about the aftershocks; they can’t sleep well because there is no safe place.”
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.9, struck at 11:59 pm on Monday, approximately 100 kilometers from Gansu’s provincial capital, Lanzhou, according to the US Geological Survey. Numerous aftershocks, some reaching magnitudes over 5.0, have continued to unsettle the region, heightening concerns for residents and complicating rescue efforts.
Rescue teams from across the country are mobilizing to provide aid and support. Overnight, there have been visible signs of progress in reaching survivors in rural Gansu. Large numbers of government-issued blue tents have replaced improvised shelters, offering a more stable refuge for those displaced.
In Qinghai province, where a “sand boil” disaster on Tuesday led to the burial of individuals alive, 12 people remain missing in Zhongchuan Township, according to Xinhua. As rescue operations continue, the nation remains focused on providing relief to those affected by the devastating earthquake, with efforts concentrating on medical care, supplies, and rebuilding efforts in the affected regions.
