Chinese rescuers brave freezing cold to find earthquake survivors

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck Jishishan county, located on the border of China's northwestern Gansu and Qinghai provinces. The earthquake occurred a minute before midnight on Monday, causing widespread damage to roads, power and water lines, and over 150,000 homes. Landslides and mudslides were triggered in the mountainous disaster zone.

Emergency responses have been activated, and thousands of rescuers are facing challenging conditions, including sub-zero temperatures, as they search for survivors and provide assistance. The affected area features complex topography with altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 4,300 meters (5,906 to 14,108 feet).

The freezing cold adds another layer of difficulty to the rescue efforts. Temperatures around the quake epicenter fell to around minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday night. People trapped under rubble face the risk of hypothermia, and the rescue window is limited in harsh conditions.

In Gansu, 113 people have been reported dead, and 782 are injured. In Qinghai, the death toll is 18, with 198 injured. Seventy-eight people have been rescued in Gansu. The region is prone to earthquakes, given its location on the northeastern boundary of the tectonically active Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Rescue efforts are further complicated by the possibility of strong aftershocks. The Gansu Provincial Seismological Bureau warned that aftershocks of magnitude 5 were still possible in the coming days. The quake's shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) increases the potential for significant ground damage.

The earthquake has impacted 22 towns and villages within 50 km of the epicenter in Qinghai province. Two villages suffered severe damage, with reports of mudslides burying buildings in brown silt. Search and rescue operations, along with efforts to resettle residents, are ongoing. The quake is a stark reminder of the seismic risks in the region, with China's deadliest quake in recent decades occurring in 2008 in Sichuan.