A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Jishishan county in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Northwest China's Gansu Province on Monday midnight. As of 4 am on Tuesday, the earthquake has caused 100 fatalities and 96 injuries in Gansu and another 11 were killed in neighboring Qinghai Province. Chinese President Xi Jinping issued important instructions on Tuesday regarding the earthquake in Gansu, demanding full-scale search and rescue efforts, proper resettlement of affected people, and maximum efforts to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. Premier Li Qiang also issued instructions. Houses and infrastructure related to water, electricity, and roads in and around the epicenter have been damaged to varying degrees. The earthquake also affected the neighboring province of Qinghai. As of 6 am on Tuesday, the earthquake has resulted in 11 deaths and 140 injuries in Haidong city in Qinghai Province. Some houses have collapsed in counties and districts such as Minhe, Xunhua, and Hualong. Local electricity lines and communication networks are under urgent repair, and efforts in personnel rescue and disaster assessment are still ongoing. In light of the severe disaster, the State Council's Earthquake Relief Command and the Ministry of Emergency Management have raised the national earthquake emergency response to Level II. The National Disaster Prevention and Relief Committee and the Ministry of Emergency Management have also elevated the national disaster relief emergency response to Level II. Following the earthquake, a total of 1,440 firefighters from the national comprehensive fire and rescue teams were deployed to the disaster area for rescue efforts. Additionally, 1,603 firefighters from Gansu and surrounding provinces have been assembled and are on standby.
