The Chinese government is stepping up disaster relief to northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake on midnight Monday killed over 100 people.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday allocated 200 million yuan (about 28.18 million U.S. dollars) of funds to the provinces affected. Of the total, 150 million yuan will be used to support Gansu, while 50 million yuan will go to Qinghai.
The second batch of relief goods, including 2,500 cotton tents, 20,000 coats, and 5,000 rollaway beds, has been sent to Gansu, and Qinghai has also received 1,500 tents, 5,000 cotton coats, and 5,000 beds, among other relief materials. As of Tuesday morning, a total of 111,500 relief items have been allocated to local authorities to support the basic needs of the affected people.
After the earthquake hit Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu, the National Administration of Financial Regulation (NAFR) activated an emergency response, requesting the administration's local branches, insurance companies, and banks to ensure insurance settlements would be readily available.
The NAFR instructed banks and insurance companies to strengthen support for the affected areas and resume basic financial services promptly in the quake-hit regions.
China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, has also activated an emergency response to ensure the supply of energy, electricity, and daily necessities.
The Ministry of Water Resources directed Gansu and Qinghai authorities to investigate whether water conservancy infrastructure was damaged in the earthquake and to take precautionary measures.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force have deployed multiple rescue teams to quake-hit areas, while the Red Cross Society of China has also sent task forces.
The quake occurred at 11:59 p.m. Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter Liugou Township is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the road network around the epicenter is operating normally. In sections where roadbed collapses and damage to bridge structures were reported, traffic has been restored following initial repair work.
The power supply in Jishishan has been largely resumed. According to the State Grid Corporation of China, electricity has been reinstated for 88.36 percent of users, and the power generation facilities of the nearby Liujiaxia hydropower station are functioning normally.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, 279 of 314 base stations that were disrupted by the earthquake have had its service restored and stable telecommunications for the public have been established in the quake-affected regions.