Dozens killed in twin China earthquakes

BEIJING // At least 47 people were killed and almost 300 injured when two shallow earthquakes struck north-west China today, as rescuers battled to reach survivors in the remote mountainous areas.

"More than 21,000 buildings were severely damaged and more than 1,200 have collapsed," said an official at the earthquake bureau in Gansu province, where the 5.9 and 5.6 magnitude earthquakes struck.

The official said 296 people had been severely injured, adding that there have been 371 aftershocks.

The US Geological Survey said the initial 5.9 magnitude quake hit at 7.45am (3.45am UAE), with its epicentre 151 kilometres west of Beidao in Gansu province at a depth of just 9.8 kilometres.

A second 5.6 magnitude tremor hit the same region at 9:12am and was 10.1 kilometres deep, USGS said.

A resident of Min county said he was at work at a medicine production plant when the tremor struck and he saw tower blocks shake "ferociously".

"I was in the workshop. I felt violent shaking and so I ran to the yard of the plant immediately," said the man, surnamed Ma.

"Our factory is only one floor. When I came to the yard, I saw a 18 storey building, the tallest in our county, shaking ferociously, especially the 18th floor."

An official surnamed He from the Min county Communist Party committee said there were more than 200 injured in seven affected townships in the area.

While Gansu is one of China's more sparsely populated provinces, Dingxi City, one of the worst affected areas, has a population of about 2.7 million.

A report on the 163.com internet news portal said 500 troops, including 120 specialised rescuers were on their way to the disaster zone.

Pictures broadcast on state television showed rural villages with rubble-strewn streets.

A total of 380 buildings collapsed and thousands were damaged in Zhang county, according to an online post by the Dingxi local government.

The quake was felt in the provincial capital Lanzhou and as far away as Xian, the capital of the neighbouring province of Shaanxi, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Beijing's own China Earthquake Networks Centre put the magnitude of the larger quake at 6.6, Xinhua reported.

The USGS rated it at seven on its "shakemap", with shaking perceived to be "very strong" and the potential to cause "moderate" damage.

Weather reports also said rain was expected in the area, which could hamper rescue efforts in the mountainous region.

Disaster relief agencies have sent 500 tents and 2,000 quilts to the quake-hit region, Xinhua said.