Beijing, Dec 22 (EFE).- The death toll in the recent earthquake in northwestern China increased to 144, while at least three persons remain missing, state-owned Xinhua agency reported Friday.
A 6.2 magnitude earthquake with 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) depth from the earth’s surface struck the Gansu and Qinghai Provinces at 11:59 pm on Monday night leaving behind significant damage to life and property.
Gansu remained the most affected province with 113 dead – unchanged from Wednesday – while the death toll in Qinghai climbed from 22 to 31, according to latest official data.
Over 780 people were reportedly injured in the quake and are being treated in hospitals in Gansu.
The earthquake damaged more than 155,000 houses and has affected water, power, telecommunications, and transport services.
More than 1,500 firefighters, 1,500 police officers, and 1,000 soldiers have been deployed to the quake-hit regions, along with medical teams, including a group of experts from the National Health Commission.
The rescue efforts have been complicated by cold wave conditions, with temperatures dropping as far as -14 degrees in the rugged and mountainous terrain of the two provinces.
Relief supplies, including 2,600 tents, 10,400 folding beds, 10,400 quilts, and 1,000 stove sets, have been sent to the affected region.
The Chinese government announced a level II response to the disaster and allocated 200 million yuan ($28 million) towards rescue and relief efforts.
Monday’s earthquake was the deadliest to strike China since a quake in the western province of Yunnan left 617 dead in August 2014, but a far cry from the one in 2008 in the Sichuan province, in which at least 70,000 died. EFE
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