Beijing: At least 12 people were killed and 125 others injured after two strong earthquakes hit China’s southwest Sichuan province on Monday, authorities said Tuesday.
The first 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Changning county of Yibin city at 10:55 PM on Monday (local time) and according to the China Earthquake Centre (CENC), the second tremor of 5.3-magnitude hit the area on Tuesday.
“As so far, 12 people died and another 125 were injured,” the Ministry of Emergency Management said.
The epicentre of Monday’s quake was recorded at a depth of 16 km, the CNCC said. Most of the deaths were caused by damaged houses, according to rescuers.
Fifty-three people are receiving treatment in two hospitals in Changning. Among them, two are in critical conditions and six others are severely injured.
Official media reported that early warning systems installed in Chengdu and Yibin sounded alarms a minute before the quake struck. The deaths and injuries were reported from across the province. “Two people remain trapped and one of them is in critical condition,” a rescuer told state-run Xinhua news agency.
Four people have been rescued and sent to a hospital, according to a rescuer in Shuanghe township. People in Yibin said aftershocks were felt in the following half-an-hour of the earthquakes.
The ministry has sent a work team to the affected areas to provide guidance in rescue and disaster relief. The National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration and the ministry have dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas, the state media reported.
Sixty-three fire tenders and about 302 fire fighters from Sichuan province have been rushed to the scene for rescue operations, the ministry said. The Hongyuan Hotel in Meidong township collapsed during the earthquake, according to the county government.
Local police are trying to evacuate the people to safety and hospital staff, firemen and other rescuers are rushing to quake-hit areas for rescue efforts. (PTI)
