2 yıl önce

China quake death toll rises as roads to epicentre reopen

At least 74 people are killed in the major earthquake that struck China's Sichuan province, with 26 still missing and 259 injured.

AP

Meanwhile, authorities in the southwestern city of Chengdu maintain strict Covid-19 lockdown measures despite the quake centred in the surrounding province.

China has reopened roads leading to the epicentre of Monday's 6.6 magnitude earthquake in the southwestern province of Sichuan and traffic has resumed, while the death toll has risen to 74.

In addition, a total of 259 people were injured in the disaster and 26 remained missing as of Tuesday night, state media People's Daily reported on Wednesday.

The strongest earthquake to hit the province since 2017 destroyed numerous buildings and caused severe damage to power and water infrastructure as well as telecommunications.

Rescuers had rushed to reach stranded people, restore utilities and send emergency relief, while 11,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday from Luding county, where the quake was centred.

Early on Wednesday, China Earthquake Networks Centre recorded a magnitude 3 aftershock at the epicentre, at a depth of 12 km (7.5 miles).

AP

Rescue efforts continued as weather forecasters warned of the prospect of heavy rains in the region until Friday.

Lockdown in Chengdu

Authorities in southwestern China’s Chengdu have maintained strict Covid-19 lockdown measures on the city of 21 million despite the quake centred in the surrounding province of Sichuan.

The quake struck a mountainous area, which sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau roughly 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Chengdu, where tectonic plates grind up against each other.

Buildings in Chengdu and other parts of western China were shaken by Monday's quake. No damage was reported in the city.

Footage circulating online on Tuesday showed workers wearing top-to-bottom protective gear preventing residents of apartment buildings from exiting through locked lobby doors following the quake.

Despite only recording a handful of cases, Chengdu’s lockdown is the most severe since China’s largest city of Shanghai was placed in isolation over the summer, prompting rare protests in person and online.