Published: 16:36, December 20, 2023 | Updated: 17:00, December 20, 2023
Quake rescue to end as China moves to treat the wounded
By China Daily

Medical staff from Gansu Provincial Hospital give emergency treatment to an injured person in Jishishan county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, China, Dec 19, 2023. (TIAN QI / CHINA DAILY)

The rescue work for the earthquake in Gansu province has begun to reach its end as of 3 pm on Tuesday. The work focus will shift to the treatment of the wounded and the resettlement of the affected people to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, according to a news conference held on Wednesday.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted Jishishan county at 11:59 pm Monday has resulted in 113 deaths in Gansu and 782 injuries as of 9 am on Wednesday.

A total of 14,939 houses collapsed and 207,204 houses were damaged in the earthquake, affecting 145,736 people of 37,162 households.

China's main Communist Party of China personnel management and Party building body has allocated 100 million yuan from the Party funds to support rescue, relief and rebuilding work in quake-stricken areas

Currently, transportation, electricity and communication services have been fully restored, according to the news conference.

ALSO READ: China quakes: Death toll rises to 131; traffic, power restored

Nearly 130,000 relief items, including tents, stoves, coats, quilts and folding beds, had been sent to the earthquake zone in Gansu to ensure the basic necessities for the victims of the earthquake. So far, 87,076 people from 20,457 households have been relocated to temporary sites.

Meanwhile, no secondary disasters have been reported, according to the quake relief headquarters. Operations in mines in the affected area have been urgently halted and people evacuated. However, reservoirs, hydropower stations, important river embankments, and dam projects are operating normally.

There have been no reports of earthquake-related environmental pollution.

READ MORE: Rescuers brave chill, race against time to save lives

An inspection conducted at the Liujiaxia Hydropower Station shows that the dam body and other facilities, including the spillway structures, are working normally, according to the news conference.

United efforts

China's main Communist Party of China personnel management and Party building body has allocated 100 million yuan ($14 million) from the Party funds to support rescue, relief and rebuilding work in quake-stricken areas.

Rescue workers put up tents in Dahejia township of Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar autonomous county of Jishishan, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, Dec 19, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee emphasized that this fund should be distributed promptly to grassroots levels on designated purposes, including supporting the rescue personnel on the front lines, condoling affected people, and aiding the renovation and rebuilding of education facilities for grassroots Party members.

ALSO READ: Companies pledged to donate after Gansu earthquake

The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China has also activated emergency responses to support the rescue work in Gansu and Qinghai.

According to a release by the youth league on Tuesday afternoon, it has allocated financial funds of one million yuan ($140,000) to Gansu and 300,000 yuan to Qinghai, and has sent a working team to support the rescue work to these two provinces.

According to the Guangdong Department of Education, an assessment of how many students are from the quake areas and how their families have been affected has been carried out

The provincial-level youth league in Gansu has also made efforts to raise financial support of 300,000 yuan as of noon on Tuesday, to the earthquake-stricken areas.

Youth leagues at all levels in Gansu have so far collected rescue supplies worth over 20 million yuan, including 280 tents, 20,000 down jackets, and instant foods. 

In Guangdong province, major universities are offering temporary hardship allowances to students whose families were affected by the earthquake.

READ MORE: Macao SAR community chips in for Gansu quake victims

At Sun Yat-sen University, students from the quake zone have been urged to contact their teachers and counselors, as the university will provide temporary financial assistance for students in need. It has established a special hotline and an e-mail address so students can contact the university for any help, the university said in a statement.

South China University of Technology promptly provided funding for its students from stricken areas. It sent one-on-one messages urging students to contact the university if they encounter difficulties.

According to the Guangdong Department of Education, an assessment of how many students are from the quake areas and how their families have been affected has been carried out.