Earthquake in China by Phoebe3 2013/09/06 14:13
Earthquake in China
A strong earthquake that shook an arid, hilly farming area in northwest China sparked landslides and destroyed or damaged thousands of brick-and-mud homes Monday, killing at least 75 people and injuring more than 450.
The quake near the city of Dingxi in Gansu province toppled brick walls and telephone lines, shattered mud-and-tile-roofed houses and sent cascades of dirt and rock down hillsides that blocked roads and slowed rescue efforts by crews trying to reach remote areas.
Hospitals set up aid stations in parking lots to accommodate large numbers of injured, while hundreds of paramilitary People's Armed Police fanned out to search for victims in the region of terraced farmland where the quake struck about 1,200 kilometres west of Beijing.
Residents said the shaking lasted about one minute, but wasn't strong enough to cause major damage in urban areas, where buildings are more solidly built. Damage was worst in Min county in Dingxi's rural southern portion, where scores of homes were damaged and telephone and electricity services knocked out. Tremors were felt in the provincial capital of Lanzhou 177 kilometers north and as far away as Xi'an, 400 kilometres to the east.
" You could see the chandeliers wobble and the windows vibrating and making noise, but there aren't any cracks in the walls. Shop assistants all poured out onto the streets when the shaking began. I saw the bulb hanging from the ceiling start swinging wildly around. I woke my two friends and we ran into the bathroom to hide. After the strongest tremors were over, we were worried that there would be aftershocks so we packed our stuff and ran out into a large clearing. " said a front desk clerk about 40 kilometers from the epicentre.
The quake was shallow, which can be more destructive. The centre said it struck about 20 kilometres beneath the surface while the Gansu provincial earthquake administration said it was just six kilometres deep. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude of the initial quake as 5.9 and the depth at 10 kilometres.
Almost 2,000 homes were either destroyed or heavily damaged, with thousands more suffering partial damage, according to the Dingxi government website. It said 14,066 households were without power, and five county and township roads had been cut. Heavy rain is expected in the area later in the week, raising the need for shelter and increasing the chance of further landslides.
Earthquake in China
A strong earthquake that shook an arid, hilly farming area in northwest China sparked landslides and destroyed or damaged thousands of brick-and-mud homes Monday, killing at least 75 people and injuring more than 450.
The quake near the city of Dingxi in Gansu province toppled brick walls and telephone lines, shattered mud-and-tile-roofed houses and sent cascades of dirt and rock down hillsides that blocked roads and slowed rescue efforts by crews trying to reach remote areas.
Hospitals set up aid stations in parking lots to accommodate large numbers of injured, while hundreds of paramilitary People's Armed Police fanned out to search for victims in the region of terraced farmland where the quake struck about 1,200 kilometres west of Beijing.
Residents said the shaking lasted about one minute, but wasn't strong enough to cause major damage in urban areas, where buildings are more solidly built. Damage was worst in Min county in Dingxi's rural southern portion, where scores of homes were damaged and telephone and electricity services knocked out. Tremors were felt in the provincial capital of Lanzhou 177 kilometers north and as far away as Xi'an, 400 kilometres to the east.
" You could see the chandeliers wobble and the windows vibrating and making noise, but there aren't any cracks in the walls. Shop assistants all poured out onto the streets when the shaking began. I saw the bulb hanging from the ceiling start swinging wildly around. I woke my two friends and we ran into the bathroom to hide. After the strongest tremors were over, we were worried that there would be aftershocks so we packed our stuff and ran out into a large clearing. " said a front desk clerk about 40 kilometers from the epicentre.
The quake was shallow, which can be more destructive. The centre said it struck about 20 kilometres beneath the surface while the Gansu provincial earthquake administration said it was just six kilometres deep. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude of the initial quake as 5.9 and the depth at 10 kilometres.
Almost 2,000 homes were either destroyed or heavily damaged, with thousands more suffering partial damage, according to the Dingxi government website. It said 14,066 households were without power, and five county and township roads had been cut. Heavy rain is expected in the area later in the week, raising the need for shelter and increasing the chance of further landslides.
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