India condoles with China on 46 earthquake deaths: A 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Luding County in China’s southwest Sichuan region on Monday left at least 46 people dead and several more injured. The area’s population already suffers from increased COVID-19 infections and an unusual drought.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, the earthquake’s epicenter, which struck at 12:25 p.m. local time, detected at 29.59 degrees north latitude and 102.08 degrees east longitude at 16 kilometers. Various communities within a 5-km radius of the epicenter are located 39 kilometers from Luding, the county seat.
Local authorities cited in official media sources as indicating that at least 46 people were murdered and more than 50 others were wounded. As rescue crews dispersed across the damaged districts, further casualties anticipated.
Twenty-nine fatalities came from Ya’an City, and the remaining 17 were from Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which oversees Luding County.
Most of Chengdu’s population of nearly 21 million people spent most of the day outdoors as earthquakes continued to pound the city. Infrastructure also affected, including transportation, telecommunications, water, and electrical systems.
The Indian Embassy in this country tweeted, “Heartfelt condolences to lives lost in the catastrophic earthquake in Sichuan on September 5 and wishes for the early recovery of the wounded.”
RESCUE EFFORTS FOR PREZ ORDERS
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue operations to reduce deaths, emphasizing that saving lives should always come first. In addition, Xi stressed the need for seismic monitoring, prevention of other catastrophes, and practical assistance for those impacted.
Xi ordered the People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police Force to actively support regional disaster relief efforts while urging the Ministry of Emergency Management and other departments to send teams to Sichuan to oversee the relief work. He also called for the maximum effort to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.
Premier Li Keqiang called for an urgent assessment of the situation and all-out attempts at rescue and medical care.
Following the earthquake, the Red Cross Society of China launched a Level-III emergency response. The first shipment of relief supplies included 300 folding beds, 2,200 comfort packages, 320 tents, and 1,200 quilts.
A working party from the organization has also sent to assist with the relief and rescue efforts.
The earthquake’s second-highest degree of emergency response has initiated in Sichuan Province. And additional rescue personnel is heading to the epicenter. Despite being 226 kilometers from the heart, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, felt the shaking.
On Chinese social media, images and videos showed Chengdu buildings trembling. We are awaiting information on the damage.
The province of Sichuan is next to Tibet. Due to its location directly above the point where the tectonic Eurasian and Indian plates collide, and often do so with great power. The Tibetan plateau consider vulnerable to severe earthquakes.
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake rocked the province in 2008, killing more than 69,000 people, while a magnitude seven earthquake in 2013 killed 200 people. The area is now coping with an increase of COVID-19 cases after the quake on Monday occurred.
A sudden lockdown was imposed on Chengdu due to an increase in cases. Residents were instructed to remain indoors, with one family member permitted to leave each day to go shopping. Daily nucleic acid tests also required until Wednesday. According to The South China Morning Post of Hong Kong.
Since mid-August, more than 1,000 instances have documented in Chengdu alone. A 21 million-person transportation hub in the Southwest. On Monday, Sichuan reported 105 new symptomatic cases and a further 80 infections.
Farmlands in the region left dry after a month without any rain. And farmers had little to no access to irrigation equipment. The province also suffers from an unprecedented drought, and heatwaves continued across large areas of China.
