Updated Dec 18, 2023 - Science

Earthquake in northwest China kills more than 100 people

Rebecca Falconer

Rescue workers search a house for survivors on Tuesday in Kangdiao village, Dahejia, Jishishan County, in northwest China's Gansu province after an earthquake. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images

An earthquake in northwestern China has killed at least 116 people and injured over 500 others in the Gansu and Qinghai provinces, state media reported Tuesday morning local time.

The big picture: The state-run Global Times reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an "all-out" search and rescue operation following the massive quake that struck in Gansu around midnight.

Chinese officials said the quake was 6.2-magnitude and the U.S. Geological Survey measured it as a magnitude 5.9. It was followed by a series of aftershocks.
Search and rescue teams were working in temperatures that were below freezing in the high-altitude region.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Add Axios on Google

Earthquake in northwest China kills more than 100 people

What to read next