– Williams Shekinah, ABH Press
A strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck late last night outside Yibin in Sichuan province of China devastating buildings and leaving 12 dead and 134 injured. Nine people were reported dead in Changing County and three others in Qixian County, the Yibing city government said, up from an initial death toll of six overnight. Over 4,000 people have been relocated and dozens of structures were damaged or collapsed following the disaster.
Before the tragedy struck, an early warning alarm was triggered in the provincial capital, Chengdu about one minute before the the strike, Xinhua news agency reported. The alert rang ten seconds before Yibin was hit.
Cracks appeared in several highways and a major highway connecting Yibin and Xuyong County was closed. Overnight, a hotel close to the epicenter collapsed, however, there was no immediate report of any casualties.
More than 500 firefighters have been dispatched to the scene. Rescue personnel were also sent with 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding cots and other emergency supplies, Xinhua reported. Rescuers pulled 6 bodies and seven survivors from collapsed buildings. Over 50 people injured in the strike were being treated at two hospitals.
The area was hit by a series of at least four aftershocks, the largest of which had 5.1 magnitude. Sichuan was the site of a powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake that left 87,000 people dead or missing in 2008.
Source : Reuters