At least 46 people died and several others were injured on Monday A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Luding County in China’s southwest Sichuan The province, whose population is already grappling with a rising number of Covid-19 cases and an unprecedented drought.
The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 12:25 pm local time, was monitored at 29.59 degrees north latitude and 102.08 degrees east longitude at a depth of 16 kilometers, the China Earthquake Network Center quoted official Xinhua as saying. News agency. The epicenter of the earthquake is 39 km from the county seat of Luding and there are several villages within a range of 5 km around the epicenter.
Official media reports quoted local officials as saying that at least 46 people were killed and more than 50 others were injured. The casualties were expected to rise as rescue teams rushed to the affected areas. 29 of the dead were from Ganji Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which administers Luding County, and another 17 from the city of Yan.
Most of Chengdu’s population of more than 21 million people spent much of the day outside their homes as tremors continued to hit the area. Infrastructure including water, electricity, transport and telecommunications services was also damaged.
The Indian embassy here tweeted, “Heartfelt condolences to those killed in the devastating earthquake of September 5 in Sichuan and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
Heartfelt condolences to those killed in the devastating earthquake of September 5 in Sichuan and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.
— India in China (@EOIBeijing) 5 September 2022
Presidential Order Rescue Effort
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all possible rescue efforts to minimize casualties, emphasizing that saving lives should be taken as a primary task. Xi stressed the need to strengthen earthquake monitoring, prevent secondary disasters, and appropriately accommodate those affected.
Calling to do everything possible to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, Xi asked the Ministry of Emergency Management and other departments to send teams to Sichuan to guide relief work, and the People’s Liberation Army and People’s Armed Ordered the police force to work actively. Assisting with local disaster relief efforts.
Prime Minister Li Keqiang also urged for a quick assessment of the situation as well as efforts for rescue and medical treatment.
Read also| 21 killed in China’s Sichuan earthquake, provincial capital shakes
The Red Cross Society of China launched a level-III emergency response after the quake, with the first batch of relief materials sent to the affected area in 320 tents, 2,200 relief packages, 1,200 quilts and 300 folded beds.
The society has also sent a working group there to help in relief and rescue work.
Sichuan province has activated the second highest level of emergency response to the quake and more rescue forces are arriving in the epicenter area. The tremors were felt in Sichuan’s capital Chengdu, which is 226 km from the epicenter. Images and videos posted on Chinese social media showed buildings shaking in Chengdu. The details of the damage are awaited.
Sichuan province is adjacent to Tibet. The Tibetan Plateau is known to be prone to heavy earthquakes because it sits at the site where the tectonic Eurasian and Indian plates meet, often colliding with enormous force.
More than 69,000 people were killed in an 8.2 earthquake that struck the province in 2008, and a magnitude 7 earthquake killed 200 in 2013. The earthquake struck on Monday as the province grapples with a rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Read also| Explained: Why US lawmakers’ visits to Taiwan continue to haunt China
Chengdu was under a snap lockdown due to the increasing number of cases. Residents were asked to stay indoors, with one person in each house allowed to buy essentials. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that daily nucleic acid tests were also mandatory as of Wednesday.
More than 1,000 cases have been reported since mid-August in Chengdu alone, the southwestern transport hub of 21 million people. Sichuan reported 105 new symptomatic cases and another 80 asymptomatic infections on Monday.
The province is also in the grip of an unprecedented drought and heat waves have engulfed vast areas of China, leaving fields with no rain for a month and irrigation equipment unavailable to farmers.
— the ending —