A shelter was set up for the affected villagers and relief supplies have been sent in after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted Xiahe County in northwest China’s Gansu Province in the early hours of Monday, according to local authorities.
The tremor struck at 01:56 at a depth of 10 kilometers, with the epicenter monitored at 35.10 degrees north latitude and 102.69 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
Three people reportedly sustained minor injuries in the quake. The earthquake also caused damage to a total of 2,097 households in the county, 17 of which saw walls collapse.
At around 15:00 Monday, a total of 50 tents were set up as local authorities arranged temporary settlement for the residents living in one of the worst-hit villages.
Local authorities organized residents to apply temporary fortifying measures to their cracked walls for safety. Relief supplies including temporary tents and foldable beds were sent in later in the day.
“Since the residential houses have been damaged to varying degrees and it’s hard for us to evaluate their safety level, we arranged to move our residents to temporary settlements and had the electricity department set up a power supply, so there’s light and they can use heating blankets, so heating is not a problem. We also have a sufficient supply of food and water,” said a village official named Kanjiabu.
The government of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has activated an emergency response in the wake of the quake.
The provincial emergency management office has sent relief supplies including 200 tents, 600 foldable beds, quilts and heating equipment to the affected area.
At the same time, 105 rescuers and 24 vehicles have been dispatched to the area for rescue work.
