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Rescue underway after a shallow earthquake that struck near Chongqing in the early hours of the morning.
At least three people have been killed after a shallow earthquake struck southwest China’s Sichuan Province in the early hours of the morning, leaving dozens injured and triggering the second level of emergency intervention of rescuers.
The earthquake struck Luxian County just after 4:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. GMT Wednesday), about 120 km (75 miles) southwest of the sprawling megalopolis of Chongqing, home to some 30 million people.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the preliminary magnitude of the quake to be 5.4, but the China Earthquake Networks Center measured it at magnitude 6. Both said the quake was at a shallow depth of 10 km ( 6 miles).
The state-run Global Times reported that three people had been confirmed dead and 60 injured, three of them seriously.
Dozens of homes in Luxian collapsed and many more were damaged, while communications with tens of thousands of people were cut off, authorities said.
Live footage from Luxian on public broadcaster CCTV showed workers climbing ladders in the pouring rain to clear dangerous debris clinging to buildings, including half-broken windows.
Another Sichuan Daily video showed students evacuating their dormitories in the dark, holding umbrellas and carrying backpacks.
Authorities downplayed the immediate threat of a larger aftershock.
“It is unlikely that there will be a larger earthquake in the region in the near future, but aftershocks will continue for some time,” Du Bin, deputy head of the seismic administration of the Sichuan.
The USGS said “significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread,” in a preliminary assessment.
Several power lines were disrupted and 62,000 homes were affected by power cuts after the earthquake, the Sichuan local government said in a post on social media Weibo.
Traffic on highways crossing the region has been diverted to make way for emergency vehicles and avoid damaged roads, the local government said.
China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially in its mountainous regions in the west and southwest.
A powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province in 2008 left 87,000 dead or missing.
Among them were thousands of children, killed in the collapse of poorly constructed school buildings.
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