BEIJING – The office of the State Council earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level-IV emergency response after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northwest China’s Qinghai province on Tuesday.
A work team has been sent to the affected areas to guide emergency response and disaster relief work, according to the ministry.
One person had been confirmed dead and four others injured as of 6:40 pm. Tuesday after the earthquake jolted Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Qinghai at 5:06 pm at a depth of 10 km.
The ministry called for stronger coordination and the swift dispatch of rescue teams to the affected areas, while urging all-out efforts to search for and rescue trapped people, deliver relief supplies, resettle affected residents, and closely monitor seismic activities.
The national comprehensive fire and rescue force has dispatched 320 rescuers, 78 vehicles and 10 search-and-rescue dogs to the site.
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A total of 10,000 disaster relief items, including tents, folding beds, quilts, blankets, family emergency kits and emergency lighting equipment, have been allocated to the Qinghai response.
The supplies were sent by the office of China’s national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.
An emergency supplies coordination mechanism has also been activated to mobilize social resources, with Alibaba Group, the Chinese Red Cross Foundation and others providing emergency food, drinking water and other supplies to quake-hit areas.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.