At 12.52pm yesterday (September 5) a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Luding County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan province.
Chinese state media reported today that 65 people have died, 248 are injured and 12 are missing.
Of the confirmed deaths, 37 occurred in Ganzi Prefecture and 28 in Ya’an.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers and disrupted telecommunications lines and caused landslides leading to serious damage.
Luding, the quake’s epicenter, is a small mountain town located roughly 226 kilometers southwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital.
Tremors were felt as far as the provincial capital and neighboring city Chongqing.
Chengdu’s 16 million residents are currently under lockdown due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in the area, and are prohibited from leaving their homes and or residential community.
BBC News reported that over 10,000 residents were affected by road blockages and communications lines being cut.
Five hundred rescue personnel were dispatched and laborers were tasked with clearing the debris.
Many residents in cities throughout the province were seen fleeing from their homes as they received warnings of the earthquake on their mobile devices.
Watch the terrifying moment the quake struck below.
Back in June, Ya’an was hit by two earthquakes in five minutes.
READ MORE: WATCH: Sichuan Rocked by 2 Earthquakes in 5 Minutes
Sichuan province is no stranger to earthquakes. On May 12, 2008, at roughly 2.30pm the Wenchuan Earthquake struck, leading to over 80,000 people being killed or missing.
Read more about the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that left over 4.8 million people homeless below.
READ MORE: This Day in History: Deadly Sichuan Earthquake of 2008
However, Wenchuan was not the deadliest earthquake to hit China.
In 1976 Tangshan, now known for the infamous Tangshan BBQ incident, was hit by a quake that killed over 240,000 people.
READ MORE: Were Tangshan BBQ Thugs ‘Protected’ by Powerful People?
[Cover image via Weibo]
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