WEB DESK
At least 46 people were killed and 50 injured in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted Luding county in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province yesterday. 16 people are missing. Severe tremors were reported by residents of Chengdu, and the nearby cities of Mianyang and Meishan, where cracks appeared in buildings. Neighbouring Chongqing municipality and three other provinces – Yunnan, Shaanxi and Guizhou – were also heavily jolted by the quake. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out rescue efforts to minimize casualties as rescue efforts continued into the night and drones and satellites pressed into service.
The earthquake jolted a mountainous area of Luding County in Sichuan at around 1 pm and many aftershocks were felt for next 3 hours. Nearly 3.5 lakh residents have been affected. The earthquake added to the difficulties of the people as Sichuan is already battling a prolonged drought, power shortages and a Covid-19 outbreak that has put the capital Chengdu under lockdown.
Authorities in Chengdu imposed a lockdown from Thursday evening amid a growing Covid-19 outbreak. Residents were told to stay home, with one person per household allowed out each day to buy necessities. Social media users criticised the strict Covid-19 restrictions in place, saying their fire escapes were blocked, or that community staff would not let those under quarantine run outside to safety.