An earthquake-affected child forms the victory sign in a relocation site in Wushi county, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, on January 23, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Aksu prefectural government

The recent landslide that occurred on Monday morning in Zhenxiong county, in the city of Zhaotong in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, and the earthquake on Tuesday in Wushi county in Aksu Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has touched everybody's hearts. The country reacted quickly and spared no efforts to rescue victims.

The landslide in Zhenxiong, Yunnan, occurred at 5:51 am on Monday. As of Thursday, all 44 people who went missing in the landslide have been found dead by rescuing teams, the China Central Television reported. 

Right after the landslide, Yunnan provincial Party committee immediately made specific arrangements for the search and rescue of trapped individuals, evacuation and resettlement, and prevention of secondary disasters. 

According to the Xinhua News Agency, emergency relocation has been carried out for 918 people from 223 households in Zhenxiong. There were more than 1,000 rescue personnel from provincial, city, and county levels at the scene, along with 81 search and rescue dogs, over 150 excavators, loaders, and rescue vehicles participating in the rescue operation.

Six professional search and rescue teams have been deployed at the scene, utilizing technologies such as radar life detectors, audio and video detectors, drones, and search and rescue dogs to conduct search and rescue operations in three different areas, Xinhua said.

The Red Cross Society of China has urgently allocated 1,000 sets of disaster relief materials, including cotton tents, blankets, and relief family packs, from its regional material reserve warehouse in Yunnan to support the disaster-stricken areas in carrying out mass evacuation and resettlement and ensuring their livelihoods. The Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Society has dispatched working groups to carry out rescue and assistance work in the disaster-stricken areas. The Red Cross Society of Zhaotong city and Zhenxiong county are participating in  the rescue work on-site. 

About 3,500 kilometers away from Zhenxiong, in Wushi county, Aksu prefecture, Xinjiang, rescue work is also continuing. 

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake had led to three deaths and five other injuries as of Thursday. More than 16,000 people had been relocated as of the same time, media said. 

Xinjiang regional officials warned at a press conference on Tuesday that aftershocks would continue for a period of time.

According to news portal chinanews.com, 2,708 aftershocks had been recorded in the Wushi county as of 8 am Thursday, among which 1,604 were recorded in the past 24 hours. 

The earthquake in Aksu is another demonstration of China's quick reaction in rescue and support in face of disasters. Soon after the earthquake, batches of rescue supplies, including cotton jackets, tents, food, and electric heating were gathered from various places in Xinjiang and sent to the heavily affected areas to ensure that the resettled population had enough food and clothing and could stay warm, the Global Times learned from the Aksu government. 

A local resident in Aksu told the Global Times that her apartment building shook heavily when the earthquake occurred. 

"I live on the 14th floor. The shaking was very strong. I could not sleep all night." 

But her life had returned to normal by Tuesday and she went to work as usual. However, local authorities were still counting losses of local households, according to an Aksu resident who asked for anonymity. 

"We were a bit scared during the earthquake, but we have food and clothing at the relocation site. We also have electric heating for warmth. In the morning, we slept for an extra hour and then resumed our business," Paruhe Kawuli, who runs a restaurant in a village in Wushi with his wife, told media.

Rescuers and volunteers carry tents for earthquake-affected residents in Wushi county, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, on January 23, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Aksu prefectural government

Governmental staff, People's Liberation Army soldiers and rescuers work at an earthquake emergency response site in Wushi county, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, on January 23, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Aksu prefectural government

Rescue team works in the affected area after the landslide in Zhenxiong, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, on January 22, 2024. Photo: VCG

Rescuers work together to search and save victims from the ruins after landslide in Zhenxiong, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, on January 22, 2024. Photo: VCG

Landslide-affected residents in the Liangshui village in Zhenxiong, Yunnan, eat instant noodles in temporary relocation sites, on January 22, 2024. Photo: VCG

After the landslide, engineers and workers from the China Anneng Construction Group join the rescue operation in the Liangshui village in Zhenxiong, Yunnan Province, on January 22, 2024. Photo: VCG