Pope Francis close to the earthquake victims in Gansu and Qinghai
The official death toll in the earthquake that struck the two northwestern provinces of the People's Republic of China has risen to 131. The extremely cold weather is making rescue operations difficult. The Chinese Catholic community is also mobilising.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - While rescuers dig through the rubble in the cold, Pope Francis today also wanted to express his closeness to the populations affected in the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, in the north-west of the People's Republic of China.
The confirmed death toll from the quake - which occurred the other night with its epicenter located in the Jishishan area, about 100 kilometers from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province - has risen to 131 deaths. But what is especially worrying are the conditions in which rescue operations are taking place in what is the most serious earthquake to hit China since 2014. In the area in question the temperatures in this season are in fact very cold: during the night temperatures reach close to 20 degrees below zero.
Pope Francis, with a new gesture of great closeness to the Chinese people, wanted to remember at the end of today's general audience those who are suffering due to the earthquake. “I turn my thoughts to the victims and injured.I am close with affection and prayer to the suffering populations. I encourage the rescue services and invoke the blessing of the Almighty on everyone to bring comfort and relief from pain."
From the city of Dahejia, near the epicenter of the earthquake, the AFP agency reports people huddled in the streets around small open fires, afraid of returning to their severely damaged homes. The state media of the People's Republic of China reports the mobilization of firefighters and rescue personnel sent to the disaster zone.
Even Chinese Catholics, now on the eve of Christmas, are looking with concern at the situation in Gansu and Qinghai. The Xinde website says it has contacted local Catholic communities by telephone, but they do not report any people directly affected by the disaster. However, Xinde is in contact with its local partners to offer its contribution to assistance activities.
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