BEIJING: At least 66 people have been killed in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit southwest China’s Sichuan province on Monday night, spreading panic and cutting of communication lines. So far 248 injuries have been reported and at least 12 people remain missing, state media reported on Tuesday.
The death toll is likely to go up. Emergency workers and firefighters evacuated over 11,000 residents to safety by Tuesday afternoon even as aftershocks were reported through the day.
The quake jolted the county of Luding county in Sichuan but tremors were felt in the provincial capital, Chengdu, more than 200km away.
The China Earthquake Networks Centre said the epicentre of the quake was at Luding, which is a town located in a remote mountainous region of the province.
At least 37 people were confirmed dead in the Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture, and the other 28 died in Shimian county of Yaan city, official news agency Xinhua reported.
While Sichuan has activated the highest level of emergency response for the earthquake, China has raised its earthquake emergency response to Level II, state television reported. “Over 200 people are still trapped at the quake-stricken Hailuogou Scenic Spot, a glacier and forest nature reserve,” the state television report said.
“The quake damaged infrastructure facilities, such as the water and electricity supply, transportation and telecommunications,” the Xinhua report said.
Teams from the emergency management ministry, natural resources ministry and the national health commission have been dispatched to the quake-hit area.
Efforts were on to restore utilities and ensure that relief supplies were reaching those affected in the disaster.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out rescue efforts to minimise casualties, stressing that saving lives should be taken as the primary task.
Sichuan has a history of deadly earthquakes. In May 2008, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan and killed more than 80,000 people. In 2013, a 7.0-magnitude quake hit Lushan, killing 196.
