BEIJING: A bonfire at a temporary shelter in Jishishan county, Gansu province, near the epicenter of Monday’s magnitude 6.2 earthquake, rekindled among survivors the hope of rebuilding their lives after the disaster as they endured frigid temperatures in the remote mountains of northwestern China.
Huddled inside a tent with her family, Ma Nuer, a resident of Kexinmin village, located near the epicenter, recalled how their house turned into a pile of rubble within a matter of seconds.
“The quake struck just before midnight. My husband, our two sons and I rushed to the nearest exit — a window — and jumped out. Our house collapsed in front of our eyes in 10 seconds or so,” the 32-year-old woman said.
The family spent the first few hours after the disaster shivering in the open. “The rescuers arrived and put up tents for us. We were given noodles and baked buns.”
Ma said she knows that rebuilding their lives from scratch won’t be an easy task, but the swift mobilization of aid for the survivors has given her immense hope.
“I don’t know what happened to our belongings, or whether we can salvage anything at all. But at least tonight, my family and I have fire and a shelter to keep us warm,” she said.
Kexinmin village, which has a population of around 1,400 people, is among the areas hardest hit by the quake in Jishishan county, which is located in Gansu’s Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture. Hundreds of displaced villagers were relocated to three temporary shelters by Tuesday evening.
As of Wednesday morning, the earthquake had killed more than 130 people and injured hundreds in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai province. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
