Approximately 12 individuals are still missing today, Thursday, after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Gansu province in northwestern China late Monday. There is ongoing debate among internet users regarding the speed at which search and rescue operations concluded. Chinese media reported that "search and rescue efforts in Gansu ended at 3 PM on Tuesday (0700 GMT), about 15 hours after the disaster occurred in a remote mountainous area near the border between Gansu and Qinghai provinces. It is not yet clear if the search in Qinghai is ongoing."
Authorities stated that "115 fatalities were confirmed in Gansu by 9 AM yesterday (0100 GMT) and 784 others were injured, while Gansu reported no missing persons." The death toll in Qinghai has risen to 22, with 198 injured and 12 missing as of 8:56 PM yesterday. The earthquake caused the cracking and collapse of thousands of homes, affecting over 145,000 people.
