BEIJING: A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Luding County in China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Monday, killing at least 21 people. The province is already grappling with rising cases of COVID-19 and unprecedented drought.
China’s official news agency ‘Xinhua’ was quoted as saying by the China Earthquake Network Center that the quake occurred at 12:25 pm local time and the epicenter of the quake was at 29.59 degrees north latitude and 102.08 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 16 kilometers from the ground. was located. The epicenter of the quake was located 39 km from Luding County and several villages are within a five-kilometer radius of the epicenter.
Tremors were also felt in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, which is located 226 km from the epicenter. Buildings can be seen shaking in Chengdu in photos and videos posted on Chinese social media. There is no information about damage to any building yet. Sichuan province is located in the neighborhood of Tibet and is vulnerable to earthquakes.
The province was hit by a devastating 8.2 magnitude earthquake in 2008, killing 69,000 people. In 2013, a magnitude 7 earthquake killed 200 people in the province. There is a lockdown in Chengdu due to the increasing cases of coronavirus. Residents have been asked to stay indoors and only one person from each household is allowed to step out to buy essential items daily.
