Twin China Quakes Leave Dozens Dead

Local Editor

At least 54 people were killed and more than 300 severely injured when two shallow earthquakes struck northwest China early Monday, officials said, as rescuers battled to reach survivors in the remote, mountainous area.

The local government in Dingxi in Gansu province, where the 5.9- and 5.6-magnitude tremors struck, gave the figures on its verified social media account.
"More than 21,000 buildings were severely damaged and more than 1,200 have collapsed," an official at the provincial earthquake bureau stated, adding that 371 aftershocks had been recorded.

The US Geological Survey said the initial 5.9-magnitude quake hit at 7:45 am, with its epicenter 151 kilometers west of Beidao in Gansu at a depth of just 9.8 kilometers.
A second 5.6-magnitude tremor hit the same region at 9:12 am and was 10.1 kilometers deep, USGS said.

An official surnamed He from the Min county Communist Party committee told AFP there were more than 200 injured in seven affected townships in the area.
While Gansu is one of China's more sparsely populated provinces, Dingxi city, which includes the worst-hit counties, has a population of about 2.7 million.

A report on the 163.com Internet news portal said 500 troops, including 120 specialized rescuers were on their way to the disaster zone.
Pictures broadcast on state television showed rural villages with rubble-strewn streets.

A total of 380 buildings collapsed and thousands were damaged in Zhang county, according to an online post by the Dingxi local government. Communications were cut off in 13 towns in the county, the official Xinhua news agency said, and power was off in some areas.

The quake was felt in the provincial capital Lanzhou and as far away as Xian, the capital of the neighboring province of Shaanxi, Xinhua reported.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team