INTL Deadly earthquake strikes China's Sichuan province

[Melodi]

Deadly earthquake strikes China's Sichuan province

Image copyright AFP
Image caption The tremors were felt in Xian, several hundred kilometres from the epicentre

An earthquake has killed at least five people and injured more than 60 in China's south-western province of Sichuan, officials say.

The 6.5-magnitude quake struck in the sparsely-populated north of Sichuan, the US Geological Survey said.

Some reports suggest the death toll could be much higher. The epicentre was close to an area popular with tourists.

Sichuan province is prone to earthquakes. More than 70,000 people were killed in a quake in 2008.

The quake struck at around 21:20 (13:20 GMT) some 300km (180 miles) north of the provincial capital Chengdu, and was 10km deep.

Photos showed damage to buildings, including a hotel, in Jiuzhaigou, home to one of China's most famous nature reserves and a Unesco World Heritage site.

A restaurant owner in the town said this quake felt stronger than the 2008 tremor, though there is no suggestion yet that the death toll could reach anywhere near the levels caused by that disaster.

Tang Sesheng told the AFP news agency that many people had fled buildings in Jiuzhaigou county - which includes a national park - and were taking refuge in the main square.

"People didn't dare grab anything like money or clothes - we just all ran outside right away," she said.
'Shocked and scared'

Gwendolyn Pang of the Red Cross Society of China said it would take time to learn the extent of the damage and number of casualties.

"Communications lines and electricity are disrupted and people are no doubt shocked and scared," she said.

China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction, quoted by AFP news agency, said as many as 100 people may have been killed and 130,000 homes damaged.

Some reports in the Chinese media said tourists were among the dead and injured.

President Xi Jinping called for "all-out efforts to rapidly organise relief work and rescue the injured people", state news agency Xinhua reports, and fire officers and soldiers were being deployed from nearby areas.

Shaking was felt in Chengdu and in Xian, home to the Terracotta Warriors, some 700km (430 miles) away.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40869028

 

[Melodi]

Sichuan earthquake: 100 feared dead as magnitude 6.5 tremor strikes central China

National Commission for Disaster Reduction releases preliminary analysis of the tremor based on data from the region

Chloe Farand
Tuesday 8 August 2017 21:27 BST
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The Independent Online
china-earthquake.jpg
The quake struck 120 miles from the city of Guangyuan in Sichuan province, which is regularly hit by tremors USGS

As many as 100 people are feared to have died after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck in a mountainous region of central China.

State television said seven people had died, 88 were injured, including 21 of them seriously.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck in a sparsely populated area 200km (120 miles) west-northwest of the city of Guangyuan at a depth of 10km (6 miles).

But China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction estimated that as many as 100 people living in the area could have died, based on a 2010 census of the region, the AFP reports.

The commission also suggested that more than 13,000 houses may have been damaged.

Officials from Sichuan government also said 100 tourists have been trapped by a landslide but there has been no confirmation over whether any of them were dead or injured.

Spokesman Chen Weide said it was unclear what had happened to them and whether they had been buried or were trapped by a blocked road.

The earthquake struck at about 9.20pm local time (1.20pm GMT) not far from the site of a massive magnitude 8.0 quake that occurred in 2008 and left 87,000 people dead or missing.

The official People's Daily newspaper said more than 600 fire officers and soldiers have been deployed in the aftermath of the quake.

The Red Cross Society of China also told the AFP the quake hit at night leaving communications lines disrupted and communities in the dark.

"It may take some time to learn the extent of damage and casualties," said Gwendolyn Pang, a spokesman with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in China.

The Sichuan earthquake administration said the epicentre of the tremor was in Ngawa prefecture, largely populated by ethnic Tibetans, many of whom are nomadic herders, but also close to the Jiuzhaigou a national park known for spectacular waterfalls and karst formations and a popular tourist destination.
World news in pictures

Officials said on social media that more than 38,000 tourists were believed to be visiting Jiuzhaigou.

The area is frequently struck by earthquakes.

Pictures on state media-run social media sites showed some damage in Jiuzhaigou, with tiles having fallen from buildings and people gathering outdoors.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted a Jiuzhaigou tourism official saying that some houses had collapsed or cracked and authorities were organising evacuations.

Shaking was felt in the provincial capital Chengdu and as far away as Xian, home of the Terracotta Warriors, according to users of Chinese social media.

The China Earthquake Networks Centre measured reported the quake at magnitude 7.0 and said it was 20km (12 miles) deep.

Additional reporting by agencies.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...de-seismic-tremor-usgs-dead-100-a7883416.html

 

[Melodi]

As many as 100 people feared dead in Chinese earthquake

Magnitude 6.5 event in Sichuan left seven confirmed dead, 21 seriously injured and 130,000 houses damaged, say local reports

A taxi damaged by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Jiuzhaigou county, China. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Images

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AFP in Beijing

Tuesday 8 August 2017 21.06 BST
First published on Tuesday 8 August 2017 20.32 BST

Up to 100 people are feared dead after an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 rattled south-west China late on Tuesday.

Seven people died and 88 were injured in the quake, including 21 seriously, the official Xinhua news agency said. It said all the dead were visitors to the area.

But China’s National Commission for Disaster Reduction estimated that as many as 100 people may have perished, based on 2010 census data of the mountainous, sparsely populated region.

Over 130,000 houses may be damaged, it added in a statement posted on its website, based on a preliminary analysis of the disaster in a remote region of Sichuan province.

President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts to rapidly organise relief work and rescue the injured people”, according to Xinhua.

Restaurant owner Tang Sesheng fled her establishment in Jiuzhaigou town after she felt the earth moving under her. “I was also in Jiuzhaigou in 2008 during the last big quake, so I knew what it was. This felt even stronger,” she told AFP by phone. She said people had come out of their homes to sit out in the town’s large public square, far from any tall structures, afraid to go back inside for fear that buildings might topple. Many were also sitting in cars, thinking it safer. She added: “People didn’t dare grab anything like money or clothes – we just all ran outside right away.”

The quake occurred about 9.20pm (13.20 GMT), not far from the site of a massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck in 2008 leaving 87,000 people dead or missing.

Its epicentre was 284 kilometres (176 miles) north of the provincial capital Chengdu and struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. The affected region, Jiuzhaigou county, includes one of the country’s most famous national parks, a Unesco World Heritage Site known for karst formations and lakes. More than 38,000 people visited the tourist site on Tuesday, according to the official Xinhua news agency, which added that electricity was cut off briefly but was restored.

Some houses at the scenic spot collapsed following the quake and authorities were organising young people to help evacuate residents, a staff worker at the park told Xinhua.

Photos from the area posted on social media showed masses of people milling about on streets scattered with light debris, and a taxi dented from being hit by a large boulder.

Over 600 fire officers and soldiers have been deployed, the People’s Daily newspaper said.

The Red Cross Society of China said it was deploying emergency specialists and volunteers to assist affected communities.

“The quake hit at night, communications lines and electricity are disrupted and people are no doubt shocked and scared,” said Gwendolyn Pang, a spokesperson with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in China. “It may take some time to learn the extent of damage and casualties.”

China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially in its mountainous western and south-western regions.

Earlier today, a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 24 people in a different, mountainous region of Sichuan to the south of Chengdu.
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-100-people-feared-dead-in-chinese-earthquake