6.6-magnitude quake hits Southwest China, leaves 30 dead
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Sichuan region of China on Monday is believed to have killed at least 30 people and caused landslides and building shaking in Chengdu, the provincial capital, where 21 million people are already under COVID-19 lockdown.
Soon after midday, a hilly section in Luding county was affected by an earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
Earthquakes frequently strike Sichuan, which is located where the Tibetan Plateau and tectonic plates collide. At least four individuals were killed in two quakes in June.
As the hunt for trapped victims went on Monday night, the death toll increased to 30, according to official media.
Authorities had earlier announced 7 fatalities in Luding county and 14 more in Shimian county, which is south of Luding county. Three of the fatalities were employees of the glacier and woodland natural reserve known as Hailuogou Scenic Area.
State broadcaster CCTV claimed that in addition to the fatalities, officials also received reports of rocks and mud falling from slope, damaging homes and disrupting electricity. A rural route was closed by one landslide and was covered in rock strewn debris, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
Due to Sichuan’s dependency on hydropower, a hot wave and drought that preceded the earthquake and shutdown caused water shortages and power outages. This comes after China’s most recent significant shutdown in accordance with its tight “zero-COVID” policy.
At a comparatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey measured a magnitude of 6.6 for the earthquake that occurred on Monday (6 miles). Different agencies’ first measurements may vary somewhat.
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan in 2008 and killed approximately 90,000 people was the worst earthquake to strike China in recent memory. The earthquake outside Chengdu destroyed towns, schools, and rural settlements, sparking a years-long campaign to rebuild with stronger materials.
