China Earthquake Kills Dozens, Injures Thousands In Sichuan Province

A strong earthquake struck China on Saturday in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The quake killed at least 70 people and injured thousands in a region still recovering from a massive quake just five years ago.

Emergency workers rushed to reach the affected areas in the hilly region. The state-run news agency Xinhua reported at least 71 people dead, citing the China Earthquake Administration.

The quake hit China just after 8 am local time about 70 miles away from the provincial capital of Chengdu at a depth of about 7.5 miles deep. The earthquake’s strength was debated. The USGS put the tremors at 6.6 magnitude, while China Earthquake News announced it was a 7.0.

The main earthquake was followed by a series of tremors, the largest of which has been 5.1 magnitude, according to the USGS. Xu Mengjia, the Communist Party chief of Ya’an, the city that administers the area where the quake struck, stated that more than 600 were injured in the incident.

Along with emergency workers, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was headed to the area from Beijing to assist and survey the damage done. While rescue workers were sent to the region affected by the earthquake, Chinese authorities temporarily halted flights at the airport in Chengdu and suspended high-speed rail operations.

Damage done by the quake included leveled buildings, most of which were older brick structures. Tiles also fell from roofs while walls collapsed. The early morning tremors sent people into the streets in their underwear, wrapped in blankets.

A square outside the Lushan’s county hospital was turned into a triage center where medical personnel could treat the wounded quickly. In a written statement, the emergency response office for Ya’an stated that 56 people from Lushan died, while more than 2,000 were injured.

The office added that nearly all the structures in Longmen village collapsed, while almost 10,000 houses were damaged throughout the county. The areas hit hardest by the earthquake remained unreachable by road, because several highways were cut off. While the county’s power grid was disrupted, some telephone services were partially available and internet services were still working.

The death toll is expected to rise as crews work their ways closer to the areas affected most by the China earthquake.

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