Following a severe earthquake in northwestern China, mournful family members of a deceased individual assembled amidst the debris and frigid weather conditions within provisional accommodations. On Monday evening, the quake occurred leading to houses collapsing and taking away at least 131 lives while also causing over 900 injuries. The majority of fatalities took place in Gansu province with some additional losses happening in Qinghai which is adjacent to it.
In the early morning hours, Ma Lianqiang found himself standing next to his wife’s motionless body. They were both inside a makeshift shelter that was illuminated by one overhead light and covered with blankets like a tent. Sadly, she had been hit and buried under rubble while seeking safety at her mother’s home because of an illness.
Ma and his extended family survived miraculously despite the severe damage inflicted on their home in Yangwa, a village located in Gansu province. His father emerged as an unsung hero when he saved Ma’s life after being trapped under rubble during the earthquake strike that led to their house crumbling down. It was indeed a scary moment for them all!
Ma Chengming, the uncle, recounted their terrifying escape from the crumbling building: “With fear gripping us tightly, we slowly made our way out.”
An official from the province disclosed that around 80,000 individuals were relocated in Gansu. A significant number of these people sought refuge in emergency shelters as temperatures dropped below freezing during nighttime.
Search teams were tirelessly sifting through the debris in Qinghai’s northern region to locate 16 missing persons in an area where landslides had destroyed houses. The number of missing was reduced from Tuesday’s initial count of 20. However, there is no immediate confirmation if these individuals have been found alive or dead as the death toll increased by four to a total of 18 fatalities within this province.
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At a press conference in Gansu, it was revealed that the search and rescue efforts were mostly completed by Tuesday afternoon. The death toll in the province remained at 113, but there were now 782 reported injuries. When combined with Qinghai’s tally of 198 injured individuals, the overall number approached nearly 1,000 injuries.