Some images of the devastation caused by the December 18, 2023 earthquake in China. Photo cut from clip Reuters broadcast
The tremors could be felt up to 1,000 kilometers away in central Henan province, where local media shared videos of furniture shaking in people’s homes.
Reuters news agency said Chinese state media went to residential area No. 6 of Dahe village, one of the most heavily affected areas in Gansu province in northwest China, and discovered many houses. are at risk of collapsing or have collapsed, especially houses built with earth and clay. .
An old man who was taken out of his damaged house by rescuers said: “I have lived for more than 80 years and have never witnessed such a big earthquake.”
In a village in Qinghai, the earthquake caused landslides that left many houses half covered with brown silt.
Local media reported that rescuers deployed drones, excavators and bulldozers to search and rescue survivors.
According to Reuters, after the earthquake occurred, Chinese authorities quickly deployed a series of emergency response measures.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has requested every effort to search and rescue, ensuring the safety of people’s lives and property.
Mr. Xi Jinping has instructed local governments to step up rescue work and timely treatment of the injured to minimize casualties, while closely monitoring the earthquake situation and developments. weather to prevent secondary natural disasters.
Mr. Xi Jinping also requested to distribute relief goods to disaster areas as soon as possible, repair damaged infrastructure and arrange temporary accommodation for affected people.
However, current rescue work faces many challenges in sub-zero temperatures while most other areas in China are also struggling with cold weather.