Nine Members of the Zhejiang Rescue Team of Ramunion prepare to board a flight to help on the morning of Dec 19, 2023. [Photo provided by the Zhejiang Rescue Team of Ramunion]

A team of nine members from the Zhejiang Rescue Team of Ramunion, an NGO from the Hangzhou earthquake rescue special forces, departed from Hangzhou International Airport and flew to Lanzhou to participate in earthquake relief efforts on the morning of Dec 19.

Prior to this, advanced forces from the Ramunion Rescue Teams of Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Sichuan, equipped with heavy rescue gear, had already rushed there by road, with plans to gather in the earthquake-affected area in the evening to immediately engage in rescue operations.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Jishishan county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in Northwest China's Gansu province, at 11:59 pm Dec 18 (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). As of Dec 20, it has resulted in 113 deaths and 782 injuries in Gansu,

The nine team members brought four sets of life-search equipment and two search and rescue dogs. Facing difficulties such as severe cold weather, they will do their utmost to carry out rescue operations as needed.

Relevant departments in Zhejiang are actively preparing to support earthquake relief efforts.

On the morning of Dec 19, the Hangzhou Fire Rescue Brigade assembled 100 team members to carry out earthquake rescue drills, ready to be dispatched to Gansu for earthquake relief work at any time.