Rescuers in remote villages in northwest China on Tuesday searched through the rubble of collapsed homes following China’s biggest earthquake in years, which claimed at least 118 lives and injured hundreds more.

Authorities in the impoverished Gansu region stated that as of Tuesday morning, the shallow earthquake that struck just before midnight had left over 400 people injured and at least 105 dead.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, in Haidong, in the neighbouring province of Qinghai, a further 13 people died, 182 were injured, and 20 were reported missing.

Thousands of homes, many of which were dilapidated brick buildings, were damaged by the earthquake, and many of the people fled into the icy streets in search of shelter.

“I was on the verge of passing out. A woman in her 30s exclaimed, “Look at how my hands and legs are shaking,” in a video that was uploaded on a social media page linked to the People’s Daily newspaper, which is published by the government.

She said, sitting outdoors with a baby in her arms and covered in a blanket, “As soon as I ran out of the house, the earth on the mountain gave way, thudding on the roof.”

CCTV footage showed belongings from a family scattered among the brickwork of a house that had collapsed during the tremor.

In Haidong, an AFP squad observed trucks transporting supplies and labourers fixing barricades.

Deadliest in many years

Since 2014, when more than 600 people perished in the southwest Yunnan province, this earthquake has become China’s deadliest.

The western hinterland of China is scarred by periodic seismic activity; in 2008, a massive earthquake in Sichuan province claimed the lives of over 87,000 people, including 5,335 kids.

According to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that occurred on Monday night occurred at a shallow depth around 11:59 p.m. local time (1559 GMT), with an epicentre located about 60 miles (or 100 kilometres) from Lanzhou, the provincial capital of Gansu.

According to China’s official news agency Xinhua, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2 and was felt 570 kilometres distant, in the main city of Xi’an.

Following dozens of lesser aftershocks, authorities issued a warning that earthquakes larger than 5.0 magnitude might occur throughout the next few days.

On Tuesday morning, an earthquake with a USGS magnitude of 5.2 was felt in the Xinjiang region, further to the northwest.

• Below freezing temps

As search and rescue operations got underway early on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts.”

According to CCTV, he stated that rescuers should be alert for any secondary disasters because the high-altitude area has temperatures below freezing.

During a press briefing on Tuesday morning, provincial officials reported that the Gansu earthquake had caused damage to approximately 5,000 dwellings.

According to state media, areas near the epicentre had disruptions in their water and power supply, but later saw some restoration of energy.

CCTV footage from one of the hardest-hit areas showed locals setting up tents while they warmed themselves over a fire.

More than 1,400 firefighters and rescue workers, according to CCTV, had been dispatched to the disaster area, while a further 1,600 people were “on standby.”

Supplies such as 2,500 tents, 20,000 coats, and 5,000 rollaway beds have reportedly been sent to Gansu, according to the broadcaster and Xinhua. Additionally, drinking water, blankets, stoves, and instant noodles are being delivered to the disaster area.

CCTV additionally stated that in order to “guarantee the security of people’s lives and property, and minimise the impact of losses from the disaster,” the central government had tentatively transferred 200 million yuan ($28 million) in relief cash.

Emergency cars were captured on camera approaching the area while travelling down roadways covered in snow and flashing their lights.

In some photos, the overalls-clad rescue personnel were seen standing shoulder to shoulder in the vehicles, while in other others, they were arranged in lines to await orders.

In other clips, emergency workers could be seen deploying orange stretchers for the victims as they combed through wreckage by torchlight.

According to officials, hundreds of residents in Gansu have been evacuated.

There are often earthquakes in China. A shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake that occurred in August inflicted 23 injuries and caused the collapse of numerous buildings in the eastern portion of the nation.

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the region of Sichuan in September 2022 claimed around 100 lives.

3,000 persons were reported killed or missing in a Qinghai earthquake in 2010 that had a magnitude of 6.9.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Chinese President Xi his “deep” sympathies over the earthquake.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin wrote, “In Russia, we share the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the disaster and hope for a speedy recovery for all those injured.”