More than 500 firefighters and rescuers have rushed to the area of the earthquake, as reported by the official Xinhua news agency.
At least seven people were killed in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southwest China’s Sichuan province, according to an initial tally from local authorities and broadcast by China’s state-run CCTV television.
The epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred at 12:52 (local time, 07:52 Greek time) at a shallow focal depth of 16 kilometers, was located in the city of Luding, about 200 kilometers southwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, as reported by the US Institute of Geophysics (USGS).
Minutes later another 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck Ya’an town near Luding.
Chengdu’s 21 million residents and those of the nearby city of Chongqing, 400 kilometers from the epicenter, said they felt the quake. In Ludig, the tremor was so strong that many people were unable to stand, while some houses were cracked.
More than 500 firefighters and rescuers have rushed to the area of the earthquake, as reported by the official Xinhua news agency.
Earthquakes are common in Sichuan province, especially in the mountains in its western part.
This was the strongest earthquake to hit the province since August 2017, when a 7-magnitude earthquake struck Aba prefecture, killing more than 100 people and injuring thousands.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded in Sichuan was a magnitude 8 in May 2008. At the time, nearly 70,000 people were killed and extensive damage was caused.
RES-EMP
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