Dozens of people are dead and hundreds of others are injured following Monday morning’s 6.6 magnitude earthquake in northwest China. Rescue and relief efforts are underway. The Chinese Red Cross has already gathered 200 tents, 1,000 sets of household items and 2,000 coats to hand out to survivors.
The tremor struck in the counties of Min and Zhang in Gansu Province around 7:45 a.m. local time. The epicenter was located about 8 miles east of Chabu at depth of about a half of a mile. A series of strong aftershocks followed the initial earthquake.
According to Gansu government spokesman Chang Zhengguo, the tremor destroyed more than 1,200 homes. Thousands of others sustained major damage. At least 89 people were killed and nearly 600 others sustained injuries. Seventeen people have been reported missing.
Officials warned that heavy rains forecast for the next several days could trigger landslides in the earthquake-ravaged areas, which could slow down rescue efforts.
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