At least 118 people were killed and hundreds injured after a shallow M6.2 earthquake hit northwest China on Monday, prompting urgent rescue efforts in harsh winter conditions.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.9 hit the Gansu-Qinghai border region, China at 15:59 UTC (23:59 LT) on December 18, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 11 km (6.8 miles). China Earthquake Administration is reporting the quake as M6.2.
China is experiencing a severe cold wave, with heavy snowfall and plummeting temperatures affecting transport and daily life across northern regions, including Beijing. President Xi Jinping has called for comprehensive emergency responses as temperatures drop significantly below freezing.
On September 19, 2023, the northeastern coastal province of Jiangsu in China was struck by a significant severe weather outbreak, with multiple tornadoes causing damage to more than 1 600 homes and tragically claiming the lives of at least 10 residents.
After sweeping over Taiwan, Typhoon “Haikui” hit China’s southeastern province of Fujian early September 5, 2023, dropping record-breaking rains. Haikui caused severe flash flooding and traffic chaos, damaged power and communication lines, and forced more than 30 000 people to evacuate. At least one person died.
Mudslides and floods triggered by excessive summer rains took a devastating toll in the northwestern Chinese city of Xian, causing 21 deaths and leaving 6 individuals unaccounted for.
At least two people were killed and 15 others injured when an EF-2 tornado accompanied by a hailstorm hit the town of Yancheng, China’s Jiangsu Province on August 13, 2023. This is the first deadly tornado to hit China and Jiangsu since July 20, 2022.
At least 60 people have lost their lives and 37 others remain missing in eastern China due to widespread floods caused by heavy rains over the past 10 days. The missing people include 51 in Beijing, 28 in Hebei, 15 in Jilin, and 3 in Fujian.
The remnants of Typhoon “Doksuri” battered northern China from July 29 to August 1, 2023, unloading an entire year’s worth of rainfall and triggering devastating floods. The worst affected were Beijing and Hebei’s Zhuozhou where more than 1.2 million people were evacuated. At least 30 people have lost their lives and more than 30 remain missing.
The remnants of Typhoon “Doksuri” dropped record-breaking rainfall in China’s capital Beijing on July 30 and 31, 2023, leading to severe flooding. The historic rainfall measuring 687 mm (27 inches) over 48 hours resulted in at least two deaths and the evacuation of more than 50 000 people. This extreme rainfall event is still in progress.
