Earthquake toll rises to 148 in China

Beijing, Dec 23 (IANS) The death toll from the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted northwest China has risen to 117 in Gansu province, bringing the total to 148 in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, local authorities said.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, the earthquake had injured 781 people in Gansu, according to the provincial earthquake relief headquarters.

A total of 311 temporary relocation sites have been set up for the affected residents in Gansu, and 112,346 people relocated as of Friday noon, Xinhua news agency reported.

Up to now, 499 individuals have been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment, while 282 people remain in hospital. Among them, 17 are in critical condition and 69 are severely injured.

All patients are receiving individual specific diagnoses and treatment plans.

Pharmacies have resumed operation to guarantee the allocation of medicine. Hundreds of thousands of boxes of drugs to treat cold, trauma, digestive disorders, hypertension, diabetes and other fundamental diseases have also been distributed.

In Qinghai province, the earthquake had killed 31 people as of Thursday.

The quake occurred at 11:59 p.m. on Monday and had a focal depth of 10 km.