12 killed, over 100 injured as string of quakes jolt China

In China, the death toll from a 6-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province has risen to 12.

Over 100 people are injured and more than 4,000 relocated as dozens of structures collapsed following the quake late Monday. A series of at least four aftershocks were felt in a span of 40 minutes, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 6.

An emergency response team and local police are trying to evacuate the people to safety and provide disaster relief. Local media reported that the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration and the Ministry of Emergency Management have dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.

Sixty-three fire tenders and about 302 fire fighters from Sichuan province have been rushed to the scene for rescue operations, The Ministry of Emergency Management said. The Hongyuan Hotel in Meidong township collapsed during the earthquake, according to the county government.

The quake resulted in cracks in a major highway connecting Yibin and Xuyong County of Sichuan’s Luzhou city. Some sections of the highway have been shut.

Meidong and Shuanghe, which are near the epicentre of the quakes, are suffering from poor telecommunications and the townships are being lashed by heavy rains since Monday. Local police are trying to evacuate the people to safety and hospital staff, firemen and other rescuers are rushing to quake-hit areas for rescue efforts.

Strong tremors were felt in major districts of neighbouring Chongqing Municipality, which is not far from the epicentre, and a few residential houses were damaged. However, no casualties were reported, the Chongqing Municipal Emergency Management Bureau said.