118 killed in China earthquake

At least 118 people have been killed and 500 injured in an earthquake in northern China while many people were sleeping.

Residents were forced to go outside into below-freezing weather on Monday after a powerful shallow earthquake occurred just before midnight.

There has been reports of damage to thousands of homes, and state media has stated that there has been “varying degrees” of damage to public facilities.

As rescuers arrived in damaged areas on Tuesday morning, the death toll increased. Authorities in Gansu said that 397 persons had been hurt and 105 people had died in the province.

There were 13 confirmed deaths, 182 injured, and 20 unaccounted for in Qinghai.

With a magnitude of 6.9 and at least 2,698 fatalities, the 2010 Yushu earthquake—which also struck Gansu and Qinghai—is the worst earthquake to have struck China.

China’s President, Xi Jinping, has called for “all-out efforts” in the search and rescue mission. Hundreds of military men have been dispatched to the area, and over 3,000 firefighters have been mobilised or placed on standby.

According to state media, the ministries of finance and disaster management have set aside 200 million RMB (£ 22.1 million) for emergency aid.

The spokesperson for Gansu, Han, said that rescue efforts were moving along in a systematic way and urged people to stay away from the earthquake-affected areas to avoid causing traffic congestion that would impede the job.