Following Devastating Quake, China Ends Rescue Efforts After Less Than 24 Hours

A vehicle is partially covered by a collapsed building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Dahejia village of Jishishan county in northwestern China's Gansu province on Dec. 19, 2023. Chinatopix via AP

China has ended its rescue effort following Monday’s devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Gansu after less than 15 hours. The Dec. 18 quake killed at least 137 and injured more than 900. However, civilian rescue workers were restricted from joining the relief effort. Many believe the abbreviated rescue effort is an attempt by Beijing to hide the disaster’s scale, and to mask the failure of China’s “poverty alleviation” in the region.

Commentator Zhong Yuan told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times, “It’s doubtful that anyone should believe the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) claim of over 100 deaths. Nevertheless, their swift acknowledgment of more than 100 fatalities underscores the gravity of the calamity.”

The 6.2 magnitude quake struck Jishishan County in Gansu shortly before midnight on Dec. 18. As of 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 20 a total of 423 aftershocks had been recorded, including 10 aftershocks measuring 3.0 magnitude or higher.

Thousands of displaced residents are suffering amidst a severe cold wave, with temperatures near zero forecast for the next 10 days.

A Staged Rescue Effort

“We have not received real rescue and relief yet,” said Mr. Zheng, a villager in Jishishan County.

He said the damage in his village isn’t as severe, “All the houses have cracks, but thankfully, none have collapsed. In some areas, he said, children and elderly are keeping themselves warm with a fire lit in front of their homes.

Mr. Yu, a resident of Gansu Province, told The Epoch Times that he anticipates many casualties.

“It’s quite severe, truly serious. There could be a significant loss of lives,” he stated. “Given that this region is exceptionally remote and economically disadvantaged, the houses are simple, constructed with mud. The current temperature is extremely low, below freezing.”

According to Mr. Zhong, the military has been the primary force for disaster relief, which is typical in China. “In the case of the Gansu earthquake, only a few hundred soldiers were dispatched for rescue. The military utilized just one helicopter and one Y-20 cargo plane. I believe it’s primarily for the purpose of creating scenes for party-controlled media.”

Chinese media reported that a brigade of the 76th Group Army in the Western Theater Command had deployed around 300 troops, while the Gansu police mobilized over 300 personnel and more than 40 vehicles, transporting essential supplies and setting up tents.

Chinese media reported that a Y-20 cargo aircraft landed at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport around 11 a.m. on Dec. 18, but did not specify what it delivered.

At noon on the 18th, a single air force helicopter was mobilized to conduct aerial reconnaissance over the disaster-stricken area.

Chinese media reported that units including the Land Force and Air Force of the Theater Command, the Xining Joint Logistics Support Center, the Gansu Armed Police Corps, and the Qinghai Armed Police Corps were making thorough preparations to provide support, standing by for orders to join the disaster relief efforts.

China’s state-controlled Xinhua News reported that a total of 2,042 personnel, 381 vehicles, and 37 search and rescue dogs were dispatched to the disaster area. Xinhua reported that 74 individuals were successfully rescued from the epicenter.

However, by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the first jolt, Gansu authorities announced that the rescue effort had concluded. The focus transitioned towards caring for the injured and post-disaster resettlement.

Moreover, after authorities declared the conclusion of the rescue mission, the Gansu Provincial Emergency Management Department released a message advising rescue teams from other provinces and cities not to travel independently to the area.

People gather next to a fire on a street after an earthquake in Dahejia, Jishishan County in northwest China's Gansu province on Dec. 19, 2023. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

Currently, the disaster-stricken area is facing a critical shortage of essential items, such as generators, heavy construction machinery,  coats, food, heating facilities, women’s hygiene products, and other necessities.

The earthquake is reported to be the country’s deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed by a quake in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan.

Hiding the Poverty of One of China’s Poorest Regions

In response to the quick conclusion of the rescue by the authorities, Yang Xian (pseudonym), a mainland journalist, told The Epoch Times Chinese language edition he believed the CCP intended to minimize the impact of the disaster.

Judging from the official statements, Mr. Yang said, “From their standpoint, it’s seen as an isolated incident and an unforeseen disaster. It’s created an extra workload for the Gansu Provincial United Front Work Department, and the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, as it pertains to issues related to ethnic minorities.”

The mountainous Gansu province in China’s northwest is one of China’s poorest and most ethnically diverse remote regions.

The quake’s epicenter, Jishishan County, is situated in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture for the Muslim Hui people, a large Chinese ethnic group.

Wang Weiluo, a well-known water expert and hydraulic engineer who lives in Germany, told The Epoch Times that the extensive collapse of houses suggests that the construction in this area falls short of earthquake prevention standards. “It reveals that peasants are residing in inadequate homes,” said Mr. Wang.

He suspects an agenda behind the authorities’ blocking domestic rescue efforts. “It’s possible that scenes documented by rescue teams on their mobile phones might unveil the reality behind the supposed nationwide poverty alleviation,” he said, thus “exposing the falsehood of the poverty alleviation narrative presented by the CCP in 2020.”

Jishishan County, home to several ethnic minorities, many of whom are Muslim, was “one of the last areas in China to be supposedly lifted out of poverty as part of a nationwide campaign,” the New York Times reported.

‘With No Village Left, No One Came Forward to Speak’

Mr. Wang pointed out that the Chinese regime consistently concludes rescue operations prematurely in the aftermath of earthquakes, and even hinders rescue efforts.

“Take the Wenchuan earthquake relief, for instance. Once they arrived at the scene, they cordoned off the collapsed houses, preventing others from conducting rescue efforts and keeping ordinary people away. Do you believe they were engaged in disaster relief? They prohibited you from rescuing; even if you heard someone shouting below, they wouldn’t go to the rescue.”

“As long as the information is concealed; whether one more person dies or one less person dies, they have forever remained silent. Do you think during the Wenchuan earthquake relief, there were any remarkable achievements? The entire village was engulfed by debris flows, the village disappeared, and they didn’t even need to report the deaths; with no village left, no one came forward to speak,” he said.

The Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008 affected an estimated 34 million people in 6 provinces. More than 5.7 million people left their homes because of the quake, 70,000 died, and 374,000 were injured.  About 18,000 people were never accounted for.

Huang Yun, Haizhong Ning, Luo Ya, and Zhao Fenghua contributed to this report.