China News Service Jishishan, Gansu, December 12 (Yan Jiao, Li Yalong, Tian Penghe) The latest official news said that up to now, the 19.6-magnitude earthquake in Jishishan County, Gansu Province has killed 2 people in Gansu and 100 people in Qinghai. Houses and infrastructure such as water, electricity, and roads in and around the epicenter were damaged to varying degrees. China News Service reporters have arrived in villages and towns near the epicenter to learn about the damage and listen to local residents' accounts of the "moment of horror".
On December 12, a reporter from China News Service learned about the disaster situation of residents in Jishishan County. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Yalong
The reporter arrived at the street of Chuimatan Town, near the epicenter, in the early morning and saw that there were still residents lighting fires on the side of the road to keep warm, some of them wearing quilts and some wearing thick cotton jackets. "I was afraid of bigger aftershocks, so I didn't dare to go home." Some residents say so. The glass on the second floor of the street is shattered, and the glass is ballast on the sidewalk. Ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars come and go frequently.
"There was a 'boom' and the wall on the second floor collapsed, and it was almost smashed inside." At around 19 a.m. on the 6th, Ma Axiyan, a villager in Chuimatan Township, recounted the "moment of the earthquake" and said that when the earthquake occurred, she ran out barefoot without caring about her clothes and saw bricks and glass scattered all over the ground.
"I live on the 10th floor, and the earthquake was so strong that people couldn't stand and the furniture fell to the ground." Wang Wenzhi, a resident with a disability, was evacuated from the upper floors with the help of his family after the earthquake.
Li Rongping, 56, lives on the first floor, and his building is cracked, and the cigarettes and alcohol on the shelves of the store are overturned to the ground, and the smell of broken wine can be smelled when the wine bottle is broken.
On December 12, residents of Jishishan County told about the disaster. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Yalong
After the earthquake, Gansu established the Jishishan County Earthquake Relief Headquarters. According to the latest news, in view of the seriousness of the disaster, the Earthquake Relief Headquarters of the State Council and the Ministry of Emergency Management have upgraded the national earthquake emergency response to Level 2, and the National Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief Committee and the Ministry of Emergency Management have upgraded the national disaster relief emergency response to Level 2. (ENDS)