A powerful earthquake hit China on Monday, taking at least sixty-five lives. The 6.8 magnitude quake made over fifty thousand people relocate to safe areas. The tremors shook the southwestern province of China heavily, causing huge damage. Rescue operations are still going on to save stranded people. Aftershocks were felt even on the next day in the surrounding area.
Emergency relief is being sent to the Sichuan province, and the work of restoring utility is also going on. Almost 250 people have already been admitted to hospitals for treatment, and dozens are critically injured. Houses and Buildings got collapsed, and roads were damaged due to landslides.
As per reports, about two hundred people are still stranded. Electricity, telecommunication services, and water utilities are affected. Work is in progress to restore the services. The administration is trying hard to supply enough food to the affected residents, building makeshift bridges.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was the mountainous interior of the province located in its Western region. The shakes were felt even in the Guizhou and Shaanxi provinces, hundreds of kilometers away from Sichuan.
Hailuogou, a famous tourist spot of Sichuan known for its peaks, forests, and glaciers, is heavily affected. Over 200 people are reportedly stranded in Hailuogou, and it has become difficult to reach them because of blocked roads.
Residents of Sichuan are habituated to earthquakes, especially in its western mountains. But this quake was the biggest one after August 2017. In 2017, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit the north of Luding. This summer has not gone well for Sichuan as it was hit by drought and heatwave within two months only.
China and Sichuan faced the largest earthquake of recent decades in 2008. The 8.0 magnitude earthquake killed almost seventy thousand people in Wenchuan.
