A magnitude 6.8 earthquake killed 46 people as it hit southwest China’s Sichuan province on Monday. The biggest earthquake recorded in the region since 2017, it was felt both in the capital, Chengdu, and in provinces hundreds of kilometers from its origin, according to state media.
Four of the deaths occurred in the quake’s epicenter, Luding, a mountainous canton in southwest Chengdu. According to the China News Service agency, the quake was so strong that it caused cracks in some houses.
In the vicinity of Luding, landslides damaged homes and homes and telecommunications fell in at least one area. There were no reports of damage to dams and hydroelectric stations located 50 kilometers from the city, but damage to the province’s power grid affected power supplies to around 40,000 users.
Earthquakes are common in Sichuan Province, especially in the western mountains, located on the edge of a tectonic plate. The most devastating earthquake ever recorded in the region took place in May 2008, when an 8.0 magnitude quake with an epicenter in Wenchuan killed more than 70,000 people and left a trail of destruction.
The quake now comes at a time when Chengdu has more than 21 million people in lockdown because of new outbreaks of Covid-19, the AP news agency claims. The government fears that the virus will spread across the territory again as the Moon Festival approaches, celebrated across Asia and the second most important holiday in China after the Lunar New Year.
Chengdu has already ended the lockdown of two areas in the southwest, Qionglai and Xinjin. As a result, about a million people were released. Three more rounds of mass testing will take place through Wednesday, and schools remain closed, with all classes being taught virtually.
This Sunday’s report (4) published by Caixin magazine states that Covid outbreaks were recorded in 103 cities. Thirty-three of them, including seven provincial capitals, are under total or partial lockdown, adding up to 65 million people confined.
The number of infections is low compared to the Chinese population – in the last 24 hours, about 1,600 new cases were recorded in a nation that has 1.4 billion people.
But the Chinese government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards Covid, imposing lockdowns, quarantines and confinement of individuals suspected of having come into close contact with any confirmed case. According to reports, these restrictions sometimes prevent citizens from obtaining food, medical care and essentials.
The stringent measures have immensely impacted the local economy and tourism. A lockdown imposed on Shanghai – the Chinese financial center – imposed between March and May of this year brought down the local economy, incited protests and led to a mass exodus of foreigners.
