Earthquakes in Gansu, China

Two earthquakes struck Gansu Province, in China, on the morning of 22 July 2013, leaving approximately fifty dead and hundreds injured. Thousands of buildings in the affected area have experienced damage.

The counties of Zhang and Min have suffered the worst damage from the earthquakes, and the first occurred near the city of Dingxi. The second occurred an hour later in the same area and hundreds of aftershocks have also been recorded. Early measurements have calculated the magnitude of the earthquakes as being between 5.6 and 6.6, with a depth of 20 km.

While the area is rural, Gansu Province is still home to 26 million people and it is reported that eight towns in the area have also suffered damage, including Longnan, Tianshui and Lanzhou.

Mudslides and landslides have also been reported in the mountainous area, as a result of the earthquakes and there are concerns that heavy rain forecast in the near-future will cause flooding and exacerbate the landslides.

Some areas have suffered power outages and communications have been disrupted. Local and international relief and rescue efforts are being conducted.