Earthquake in China Kills Over 120

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed at least 127 people and injured more than 700 in China’s northwestern Gansu province on December 19. The earthquake marks China’s deadliest in over 10 years.

Devastation: More than 155,000 homes in Gansu were damaged or destroyed, Reuters reported. Footage from Chinese state media showed entire villages ravaged by the quake.

Rescue efforts: More than 4,000 firefighters, soldiers and police officers have been deployed to the area to search for and rescue survivors.

Locals have characterized the difficult rescue effort as a “race against time” because of a cold wave sweeping across China. Temperatures in Linxia, Gansu, on Tuesday morning were below freezing, dropping to 6.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why ‘natural’ disasters? The Bible shows that God has ultimate power over nature. Why, then, would He allow such devastating earthquakes? Read our free booklet Why ‘Natural’ Disasters? to understand the crucial lesson God wants mankind to learn from these events.