Rescuers transfer an injured person at Dahe Village of Jishishan Bao'an, Dongxiang, Salar autonomous county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, northwest China's Gansu province, Dec 19, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Hong Kong will liaise with different local relief organizations to activate the disaster relief fund as soon as possible to provide assistance to the people affected by the Gansu earthquake, Acting Chief Executive of Hong Kong Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Tuesday. 

Extending his condolences to those affected by the earthquake and to the families of the victims, Chan said there can be no delay in providing relief, as Gansu gets extremely cold in the winter months. 

According to China Earthquake Networks Center, the epicenter of the earthquake was at 35.7 degrees north latitude and 102.79 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 km

Speaking at the weekly Executive Council meeting, Chan pledged to expedite the disaster relief fund applications once the fund advisory committee has received them. 

READ MORE: 105 dead as 6.2-magnitude quake rocks Gansu

Major search and rescue efforts have been underway since the 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Jishishan county in Northwest China’s Gansu province, close to the border with Qinghai province, on Monday evening. So far, 105 earthquake-related deaths have been reported in Gansu province and 11 in Qinghai province, with hundreds more injured. Over 4,700 homes have been destroyed or badly damaged, while much of the local infrastructure — including water, electricity, transportation and communications — also suffered damage when the earthquake struck. 

Reports indicate that the average temperature in Jishishan county is currently -15 C. 

According to China Earthquake Networks Center, the epicenter of the earthquake was at 35.7 degrees north latitude and 102.79 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 km.

Chan also revealed that no requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents have been received thus far following the earthquake and promised that HKSAR government will provide all possible assistance as soon as possible if any Hong Kong residents are in need of assistance.

READ MORE: 13 killed as 7.0-magnitude quake strikes China's Sichuan

Chan is acting as the chief executive when John Lee Ka-chiu is on a four-day duty visit to Beijing.