Deadly earthquake claims 66 lives in China’s Sichuan province

Asia-Pacific, News September 7, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

At least 66 people were reported dead while hundreds were injured after a powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit China’s southwestern province of Sichuan.

The earthquake struck around 13:00 local time on September 5 and had a depth of 10 kilometers. The tremors caused landslides on several of the mountains around Sichuan’s capital city, Chengdu. The landslide severed telecommunication lines and caused serious infrastructural damage in the outskirts of the city.

According to China Earthquake Networks Centre, the epicenter of the earthquake was determined to be Luding, a remote town in the mountainous region at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, about 226 kilometers from Chengdu.

Several high-rise buildings in Chengdu, Chongqing, and other neighboring cities were shaken by the jolts, however, no major infrastructural damage was reported from any of the major cities. More than 243 houses collapsed and 13,010 were damaged during the earthquake. Four hotels and hundreds of homestays were also affected by the jolts.

Earthquake Sichuan China — *^{Rescue personnel dig through collapsed homes in Moxi town, the epicenter of the earthquake in Sichuan province on September 6, 2022. (Image Credit: VCG)}*

According to China’s state-owned media outlet, about 28 people were reported dead in the city of Ya’an while 38 deaths were reported in the neighboring cities of Ganzi Prefecture. Most deaths were due to the landslides that also damaged the communication network in the area and blocked many roads causing massive disruption in carrying out rescue operations.

More than 500 rescue personnel were dispatched immediately toward the epicenter of the earthquake while over 6,600 firefighters, doctors, and other rescue workers were sent to carry out rescue operations in different cities of Sichuan province. The provincial emergency management department and the Sichuan branch of the Red Cross Society of China have sent over 89,000 items of disaster relief materials to the affected areas.

Over 2,700 military and armed police personnel have also been dispatched to assist with disaster response. They restored nearly 3 km of damaged roads, set up approximately 1,000 tents and transported 293 tonnes of disaster relief supplies. The local authorities have evacuated 3,951 people to safe locations while 270 wounded survivors were rescued and treated.

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday. The tremor was felt in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan. #GLOBALink pic.twitter.com/mqxu8iCiSj
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 5, 2022

According to the latest media reports, more than 50,000 people have been evacuated from the earthquake-hit areas. The state television also reported that more than 200 people have been stranded in Hailuogou, a popular tourist destination known for its glaciers, forests, and scenic views. Rescue workers are trying to open blocked roads to reach the area.

China’s Sichuan province is prone to earthquakes due to its geological position. It is close to the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. In June 2022, an earthquake of 6.1-magnitude tore through Sichuan, killing at least 4 people and leaving 42 injured. An 8.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Wenchuan county in northwest Sichuan in 2008 killed at least 70,000 and caused widespread destruction.