Earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hits China, over 100 dead

(Patria) - At least 116 people have been killed and hundreds injured after an earthquake struck northwestern China, Chinese state media reported today, as rescue teams attempted to reach survivors in sub-zero temperatures. The quake hit Jishishan County in Gansu province late last night, damaging homes and roads.

Rescuers immediately launched a search for survivors under the rubble. According to the latest data, 105 people have died in Gansu province and more than 4,700 houses have been damaged, provincial authorities announced at a press conference. They added that a total of 397 people were injured, including 16 in critical condition and 76 seriously.

Eleven people died in the neighboring province of Qinghai, Chinese state television reported. The earthquake struck shortly before midnight while many were sleeping in their homes. The United States Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 5.9. The China Earthquake Administration gave a slightly higher estimate of 6.2 on the Richter scale.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on authorities to "make every effort" in the search for survivors and treatment of the injured, noting that the disaster occurred at a high altitude where the weather is currently very cold. China is no stranger to strong earthquakes, especially in the southwestern parts of the country where the Eurasian tectonic plate meets the Indian plate.

This could be the deadliest to hit China in nearly a decade, since an earthquake in the southwestern province of Yunnan killed about 600 people in 2014. The neighboring province of Sichuan witnessed a devastating magnitude 7.9 earthquake in 2008 that killed about 90,000 people.