In the dark of night, the smartphone of a resident surnamed Qin in Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan in Gansu Province received an earthquake alert.
The time was 11: 58 p.m. The date was December 18, 2023. It was one minute before the intense tremors started rattling this mountainous area in northwest China.
Promptly, Qin jumped to his feet, woke up his family and ran. As they were making their way out of the house, the earthquake knocked the television in their living room to the floor.
From their home on the 16th floor of an apartment building, the family rushed down the emergency stairs.
At minus 12 degrees Celsius, it was freezing
