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Earthquake in Sichuan in China

 

The largest earthquake to hit the region since 2017 with a magnitude of 6.8 slammed China’s Sichuan province on Monday, killing at least 21 people and rattling the provincial capital of Chengdu as well as farther-flung districts.

According to state television, landslides damaged some roads and residences close to the epicentre, and communications were disrupted in at least one location.

No dams or hydropower plants within 50 kilometres (31 miles) of the epicentre were reported damaged, however there were power outages for around 40,000 end consumers due to damage to the provincial grid.

The China Earthquake Networks Center said that the village of Luding, located in the mountains around 226 kilometres southwest of Chengdu, served as the epicentre.

The western mountains of the Sichuan province in the southwest, which is a tectonically active region along the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, are particularly prone to earthquakes.

According to the China News Service, the quake in Luding was so intense that some people found it difficult to stay standing, and some of the houses showed signs of cracking.

Social media videos displayed swinging lights as building occupants hurried out into the streets.

According to state television, 39,000 people reside within 20 km of the epicentre and 1.55 million within 100 km.