The death toll from the strong earthquake that hit southwest China’s Sichuan province rose from 46 to 65 on Monday, according to a new report released by state media.
The earthquake, which triggered landslides and shook buildings, left hundreds injured.
At least 16 people are missing, one day after the earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, according to the Chinese authorities, and 6.6, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), shook the town of Luding, at 12:52 p.m. (05:52 in Lisbon), on Monday.
Sichuan province, which borders the Tibetan Plateau where tectonic plates meet, is regularly hit by earthquakes. Two earthquakes recorded last June caused at least four deaths.
Monday’s earthquake was felt 200 kilometers away in the provincial capital Chengdu, where most of the 21 million people are confined to their homes to stem an outbreak of Covid-19.
Power was cut off and buildings were damaged in the town of Moxi in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, killing 37 people.
Chinese state television CCTV showed rescuers pulling a woman from the rubble in Moxi, where many buildings are made of a mixture of wood and brick.
Another 28 people were killed in the nearby town of Shimian, on the outskirts of Ya’an city.
Authorities also reported that rocks fell from the mountains, causing damage to homes and power outages, according to CCTV.
A landslide blocked a rural road, leaving it littered with rocks, the Emergency Management Ministry said.
The quake follows a heat wave and drought that caused water shortages and power outages due to Sichuan’s reliance on hydropower. This is in addition to the highly restrictive containment measures, within the framework of the zero cases of Covid-19 strategy, adopted by China.
China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years, with a magnitude of 7.9, occurred in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan.
The quake devastated towns, schools and rural communities outside the provincial capital of Chengdu, prompting a rebuilding effort with stronger materials.
The epicenter of Monday’s quake was in a mountainous area about 200 kilometers southwest of Chengdu.
Source: TSF
