Photo: Screenshot from the CENC

After a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Haixi Prefecture in Northwest China's Qinghai Province at 5:06 pm on Tuesday, seven additional tremors were recorded within the following 40 minutes, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). Local authorities have dispatched seismic response personnel to the site to carry out emergency operations.

The CENC said that the first earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, and the epicenter was monitored at 37.80 degrees north latitude and 95.56 degrees east longitude.

As of 6:40 pm on Tuesday, the magnitude-6.3 earthquake has left one dead and four injured, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

All operating staff at coal mine enterprises near the epicenter have been fully evacuated. Inspections are underway to tally further casualties and property damage.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has mobilized rescue forces to the quake-hit area to conduct all-out searches for trapped people. The ministry has also allocated relief supplies to deliver assistance and resettlement support for affected people, and stepped up seismic monitoring, tracking and assessment on Tuesday, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

The State Council's earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly activated a Level IV earthquake disaster emergency response, and dispatched a work group to guide on-site response operations, per CCTV News.

The office of the national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, have allocated 10,000 central disaster relief supplies including tents, folding beds, quilts, blankets, household emergency kits and emergency lighting lamps, to Qinghai, per Xinhua.

A total of 78 vehicles, 320 rescuers and 10 search-and-rescue dogs have been dispatched from the national comprehensive fire and rescue service to carry out on-site rescue operations, CCTV News reported.

The epicenter of the earthquake lies 567 kilometers away from Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, the China News Agency reported.

A total of eight consecutive earthquakes rattled the Haixi Prefecture by 5:45 pm on Tuesday, the China News Agency reported, citing data released by the CENC.

In addition to the initial 6.3-magnitude main shock, the region experienced seven subsequent quakes, the smallest registering a magnitude of 3.0 and the strongest reaching 4.9, all at a focal depth of 10 kilometers, according to CENC.

The Qinghai provincial earthquake administration has dispatched an on-site emergency response task force consisting of 10 staff members aboard two vehicles to the quake-hit zone to carry out comprehensive seismic emergency response operations, according to the China News Agency.


Global Times