China – Chinese emergency and rescue workers are struggling to find survivors from the earthquake that hit Western China on Wednesday due to the freezing cold weather.

Rescue workers are working in freezing temperatures to find survivors trapped under the collapsed buildings in Western China where an earthquake hit on Wednesday killing at least 617 people and leaving thousands homeless.

An estimated 10,000 people have been injured from the earthquake while over 300 people are confirmed missing from the 6.9 magnitude earthquake.

Xinhua news agency have quoted an official in Qinghai, saying 85% of the buildings in Jiegu the main town of the Yushu county.

Over 5,000 soldiers, medical workers and rescue workers have been sent to the area to help with rescue efforts. Over 5,000 tents have been sent to the area along with 100,000 blankets and coats for the tens of thousands left homeless in the freezing cold temperatures.

The force of the earthquake said to be 34 KM from the surface of the ground gave heavy damage to roads, destroyed homes, cut power lines and cut phone lines in the Qinghai province of the country, which borders Tibet.

Aftershocks measuring up to 6.3 in the Richter Scale followed the initial earthquake which was centred in the Tibetan county of Yushu, South of Qinghai.

One of the buildings that collapsed was a school which buried dozens of students and teachers. Officials are describing the disaster area as chaotic with locals all on the street not knowing what to do.

There are also major worries from officials and rescue workers of a crack in the near by reservoir with workers working around the clock to prevent a potential flood which can cause even more havoc.

officials have also confirmed that over 1000 people have been rescued from the collapsed buildings.

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