Drone footage shows damaged houses and rescue workers operating after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted China's northern Gansu Province and Qinghai Province on Dec 18, killing 131 people and injuring over 700.

Firefighters are seen working in the collapsed houses. Many temporary shelters had been set up for people who survived the disaster. They were queuing to get necessities such as clothes, food, and quilts handed out by government staff.

It’s reported that the earthquake had damaged 155,393 houses in Gansu as of 1 pm Tuesday, December 19. A total of 74 people have been rescued as of 7 pm Tuesday, while 4,298 were evacuated and property worth over 15.3 million yuan (about 2.16 million U.S. dollars) was saved, said the ministry.

China has upgraded the national disaster-relief emergency response to Level II for the earthquake. Over 736 rescuers from central enterprises' projects in nearby areas, as well as 2,042 firefighters, have been sent to the quake-hit region, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Traffic has been resumed on all rural highways connecting areas severely affected by the earthquake as of 7 pm Tuesday, the country's transport authorities said Tuesday.

All the expressways as well as national and provincial trunk roads in Gansu and Qinghai are operating smoothly, and relief personnel, supplies and vehicles can reach the disaster-hit areas unimpededly, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The video was filmed on December 20 and provided by local media with permission.

STORY: Earthquake death toll rises to 131 in China's Gansu, Qinghai
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 19, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 20, 2023
LENGTH: 00:00:41
LOCATION: JISHISHAN/XINING, China
CATEGORY: OTHERS

SHOTLIST:
1. aerial shots of a temporary relocation site at the Dahejia Township, Jishishan County, Gansu Province
2. various of the rescue efforts in Gansu and Qinghai provinces
3. various of disaster relief supplies being allocated to quake-affected residents

STORYLINE:

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted China's Gansu Province and neighboring Qinghai Province at midnight Monday has killed 131 people, said local authorities.

A total of 113 people have been killed in Gansu and 18 in Qinghai, with over 700 hundred people injured so far.

The earthquake had damaged 155,393 houses in Gansu as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to the provincial earthquake relief headquarters.

China has upgraded the national disaster-relief emergency response to Level II for the earthquake. Over 736 rescuers from central enterprises' projects in nearby areas, as well as 2,042 firefighters, have been sent to the quake-hit region, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

A total of 74 people have been rescued as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, while 4,298 were evacuated and property worth over 15.3 million yuan (about 2.16 million U.S. dollars) was saved, said the ministry.

More relief supplies are also on the way. The ministry said the third batch of relief goods, including 2,000 cotton tents, 5,000 rollaway beds, 5,000 overcoats, and 10,000 quilts, have been allocated to Gansu.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 133,500 relief items have been sent to Gansu and the neighboring Qinghai Province to support the basic needs of those affected by the earthquake.

Traffic has been resumed on all rural highways connecting areas severely affected by the earthquake as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, the country's transport authorities said Tuesday.

All the expressways as well as national and provincial trunk roads in Gansu and Qinghai are operating smoothly, and relief personnel, supplies and vehicles can reach the disaster-hit areas unimpededly, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Relentless efforts have also been made to restore power supply in quake-hit areas.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jishishan and Xining, China.
(XHTV)