China sets up 15,000 shelters after Gansu earthquake

BEIJING

More than 15,000 temporary prefabricated houses have reportedly been set up in a disaster area to accommodate victims after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Gansu province in China, Chinese state-run Xinhua News said Friday.

A large number of residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the area have been relocated to temporary shelters.

The disaster coordination unit announced that prefabricated houses in the region reached 15,812.

The earthquake hit Dec. 18 with its epicenter in Cishan Bao'an Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County.

A total of 149 people were killed in the two provinces, and 14,000 houses were damaged in the quake near the Qinghai province border/

In the region densely populated by Muslim ethnic minorities, 87,000 people were evacuated due to the earthquake, and victims faced housing problems in cold winter conditions.