Hundreds are feared dead after 6.5-magnitude tremor rocks Sichan province
The Chinese government fears hundreds of people have been killed and injured in the southwestern province of Sichuan after the area was struck by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake.
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The tremor’s epicenter was some distance underground and thus was not as severe as the shock that hit the earthquake-prone area in 2008, which claimed 70,000 lives.
M7.0 earthquake in SW China’s Sichuan causes chandelier to swing in home in capital Chengdu 300km away from epicenter pic.twitter.com/qoHgxH15y5
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) August 8, 2017
Early images of nearby Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou – home to one of China’s most famous nature reserves and a Unesco World Heritage site – showed damaged buildings although only five deaths have thus far been confirmed.
China activates top-level emergency response procedures following 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan https://t.co/hgdRGcaAKp pic.twitter.com/anvdBfgNBW
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 8, 2017
1 tourist dead, 4 injured, over 100 trapped in Jiuzhaigou scenic area, following the M7.0 earthquake, local media citing authorities reports pic.twitter.com/EldQkWW3sc
— People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) August 8, 2017
Meanwhile, 700km away in Xian, home to the famous Terracotta Warriors, the effects of the earthquake were also felt and people were seen sitting on the street after evacuating from their homes.