By Aya Khalaf | Staff Writer

Just before midnight, an earthquake hit Beijing on December 18, 2023, killing over 140 people, injuring hundreds, and displacing thousands of citizens residing in villages and nearby areas, especially in the Gansu province. The earthquake was described as a “shallow thrust faulting” one where homes collapsed and the infrastructure was negatively affected. Consequently, relief and rescue teams faced significant obstacles and challenges due to these severe damages, in addition to the cold weather and subzero temperature that intensified their struggles to do their job. All this led to a dramatic surge in China’s death toll.

According to officials in Qinghai, the earthquake was presumed to be of 6.2 magnitude, which was considered to be one of the deadliest earthquakes that China has ever witnessed in a decade. Adding to that, there were at least nine aftershocks that followed the initial earthquake which left civilians still shaken up by these consequent events. Two of these aftershocks were of approximately 4.0 magnitude.

According to Al Jazeera, over 4000 firefighters, soldiers, and police officers have been deployed towards the location of the event as part of the rescue mission. With almost 5000 houses left damaged and more than 87,000 resettled, the cold snowy weather made it almost impossible for the relief teams to reach those affected and proceed with their rescue operations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” in search and rescue. Whereas, the country’s arch-foe, Taiwan, expressed condolences to those involved and offered help. “We pray that all those affected receive the aid they need, and we hope for a swift recovery. Taiwan stands ready to offer assistance in the disaster response effort,” said Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Many civilians were left startled by this earthquake implying that this is the harshest that’s ever occurred since 2014 when a quake took place causing over 600 deaths. 

“I am 70 and I have never experienced such a powerful quake in my life,” Ma Wenchang, a resident of Dahejia, told the news outlet AFP.

Consequently, the death toll from China’s most powerful earthquakes in years has risen to about 149 with several individuals still missing or remaining under the rubble. The factor that primarily contributed to that surge is the location where the earthquake struck: a remote mountainous area between Gansu and Qinghai provinces. This led to the collapse and reduction of homes and to the triggering of heavy mudslides that heavily inundated two main villages within these provinces. 

Gansu province is known for being prone to seismic activity in western China, including Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, as well as the Xinjiang region and Tibet. However, concerns are still rising among Chinese officials due to the unexpected earthquake that struck after almost a decade.