Earthquake in China kills over 40, Destroys Properties

Post created on 10:30 am

In China, more than 40 people have been killed due to a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Sichuan province and shook the capital Chengdu, Aljazeera reports.

Chinese State Media, Xinhua, reported on Monday citing local authorities at a press briefing that Forty-six people were killed in the quake.

The epicenter was at Luding, a town in the mountains about 226km (110 miles) southwest of Chengdu, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said.

Some roads and homes near the epicenter were damaged by landslides on Monday, while communications were down in at least one area, according to state television.

According to the report, there was no damage to the dam, and hydropower stations within 50km (31 miles) of the epicenter were reported.

Earthquakes are common in Sichuan, a southwestern province, especially in its western mountains, a tectonically active area along the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Resident Jiang Danli said she hid under a desk for five minutes in her 31st-floor apartment, while many of her neighbours rushed downstairs.

“There was a strong earthquake in June, but it wasn’t very scary. This time I was scared because I live on a high floor and the shaking made me dizzy,” Jiang said.

Laura Luo, who lives in Chengdu, a city of about 21 million people, was on her way back to her apartment block when she saw people in her neighbourhood rushing out of their high-rise homes in panic after getting earthquake warnings on their phones.