Indian Thought Latest News & Views
Beijing. A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Luding County in China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Monday, killing more than 30 people. The province is already grappling with the problem of rising cases of Kovid-19 and unprecedented drought. China’s official news agency ‘Xinhua’ quoted the China Earthquake Network Center as saying that the quake occurred at 12.25 pm local time and the epicenter of the quake was located at 29.59 degrees north latitude and 102.08 degrees east longitude, 16 km below the ground. . The epicenter of the quake was located 39 km from Luding County and there are several villages within a five-kilometre radius of the epicenter. Tremors were also felt in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, which is located 226 km from the epicenter.
Official media reports quoted local officials as saying that more than 30 people were killed, while more than 30 were injured. The casualties are expected to rise as rescue teams reach the affected areas. 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. The Indian embassy here tweeted, “Condolences to those killed in the devastating earthquake in Sichuan on September 5 and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered everything possible to reduce the number of casualties and said saving lives should be taken as a priority. 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 about 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 corona virus. Residents have been asked to stay indoors and only one person per day has been allowed to step out to buy essential items.
