Several dead as magnitude earthquake strikes Southwest China

Several persons have been killed after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern China, state media reported.

Following an earlier report of seven fatalities in the nearby Luding county, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday that 14 people had died in Shimian County, Sichuan province.

Preliminary surveys conducted revealed that a number of towns in Sichuan province had suffered “serious damage to housing due to mountain landslides,” and that telecommunication lines had been cut off in some areas.

The quake hit shortly before 1 pm (0500 GMT), around 43 kilometres southeast of the city of Kangding at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.

Tremors were felt in the nearby provincial capital Chengdu, where a Covid-19 lockdown has confined millions of residents to their homes, and the megacity of Chongqing, according to officials..

Several aftershocks were recorded in nearby areas. a smaller magnitude 4.6 tremor struck eastern Tibet less than an hour after the initial quake, state media reported.

Over 500 rescue personnel have reportedly been dispatched to the epicenter while efforts are made to clear the roads that have been obstructed by landslides brought on by the earthquakes.

Earthquakes are fairly common in China, especially in the country’s seismically active southwest.

An 8.0-magnitude quake in 2008 in Sichuan’s Wenchuan county left tens of thousands dead and caused enormous damage.