The death toll has risen to thirteen in an earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province
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The death toll has risen to thirteen in an earthquake in southwest China’s Sichuan province. Officials have said that at least five of the dead were tourists. Rescue teams worked through the night as the number of injured also rose to more than 175.
More than 34,000 people were said to be touring the tourist destination of Jiuzhaigou on the day. The China Earthquake Administration has activated level-1 emergency response, but it has now downgraded the response to level-2 while the Ministry of Public Security activated level-1 emergency response. The 7.0 earthquake rocked Jiuzhaigou County at 09:19 Tuesday (Beijing Time) at a depth of 20 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Jiuzhaigou, or Jiuzhai Valley, is a national park known for its spectacular waterfalls and karst formations.
And as the sun came up, the effects were clear to see, with landslides and damaged buildings across the area.
While some will be thankful for a lucky escape, for others it will be another bitter reminder of the 2008 quake in the region which killed more than eighty thousand people.