6.6-magnitude quake hits NW China

12:55

The death toll from the deadly quake has risen to 47, with 296 injured, according to Gansu Earthquake Networks Center.

12:21

More than 310 armed police troops and 64 heavy machines have been mobilized to repair a damaged part of National Highway No 212, linking the provincial capital of Lanzhou to quake-affected Minxian county, Xinhua reports.

12:03

Some 21,000 rooms from 5,600 houses have been damaged, while 1,203 rooms collapsed in Zhangxian county. Cables were damaged, cutting telecommunications in Minxian county. Five townships also experienced blackouts.

Rescuers search for survivors in the debris of houses devastated in Minxian county, Dingxi city, July 22, 2013. [Photo/icpress.cn]

11:50

Two train services will be suspended following the disasters in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces – Monday’s scheduled T197 from Zhengzhou to Urumqi and Wednesday’s T198 back to Zhengzhou, according to railway authorities.

11:40

Heavy rain is forecast to hit the earthquake-hit areas and a red rainstorm warning has been issued by the local observatory. The downpour will affect disaster relief work. Experts warned people to avoid steep mountains due to possible landslides and aftershocks.   

11:32

The death toll from the deadly quake has risen to 22, according to Gansu Provincial Civil Affairs Department.

11:13

The death toll from the deadly quake has risen to 17, with 279 injured, CCTV reports on Sina Weibo.

11:03

Eleven people have been reported dead in the quake so far. Ten dead and 55 were seriously injured in Minxian county. Three deaths in Puma township. Five deaths and 45 seriously injured in Meichuan township, and two dead and ten seriously injured in Zhongzhai township. One death was reported in Santiaogou village, Shichuan township in Zhangxian county and 26 were injured in another 8 townships.

10:50

Six aftershocks have been recorded since the magnitude-6.6 quake, according to China Earthquake Networks Center, of which, the biggest was measured at 5.6 magnitude at 09:12 and the smallest, 3.0, at 08:06 am and 09:23 am.

10:45

Eleven people have reportedly died and 81 injured, CCTV reports.

10:40

Four people have been reported dead in Mingxian county, Xinhua reported citing the Civil Affairs Department.

10:37

One was killed and 26 were injured in Zhangxian county，according to the website of Zhangxian government. 

10:35

At least 43 people were injured in Minxian county, according to xinhuanet.com.

10:27

One hundred firefighters have been dispatched from Lanzhou, the provincial capital city, together with 13 fire engines and five rescue dogs, said Ma Jun, a journalist of Gansu TV Station on Sina Weibo.

10:10

One report says 80 percent of the houses in Zhuoluo village collapsed during the quake and one person died while being transferred to hospital, according to Ma Jun, a journalist of Gansu TV Station on Sina Weibo.

10:09

For those trying to contact loved-ones, some mobile phones may be out to due to power. Some 15 China Mobile base stations stopped operation in Gansu province, due to a power-failure caused by the earthquake. China Mobile’s Gansu branch has launched their natural disaster emergency plan and dispatched emergency teams to fix cables and generate power, according to Xinhua News Service.

10:02

Two people have died, many more injured, according to the QQ Weibo of Minxian County Information Office, who promised more details to follow.

9:52

This is the second disaster to hit Minxian county in a few weeks. More than 40 people were killed or missing after torrential rain battered the area.

9:49

Three people have been confirmed dead in Minxian county, according to the provincial rescue authorities.

9:30

A local resident surnamed Hao said she felt a strong tremor and saw the sofa shaking in her room on the second floor in a residential building in Tianshui city, Gansu province.

9:25

Most towns and villages in Minxian county were hit by the earthquake and casualties are reported, but details remain unclear.

An aftershock measuring 5.6 magnitude on the Richter scale hit the area at 9:12.

9:15

It will take two hours for aid workers to arrive in the epicenter from Dingxi city, said the political commissar of Dingxi Fire Brigade. So far, the roads are not blocked.

9:10

A task force of 15 workers from Gansu Provincial Earthquake Bureau has been sent to the quake-hit area.