At least 21 people were killed and multiple homes were “severely damaged” in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit southwestern China, according to local authorities and state media.
The tremor was recorded at 12:52 local time (1:52 Argentine time) and had its epicenter in the mountainous region of Sichuan, 200 kilometers southwest of the city of Chengdu, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), according to the AFP agency.
Ya’an city reported 14 dead in rural Shimianclose to the epicenter, according to public television CCTV.
These victims are added to the seven deaths announced hours earlier by the neighboring prefecture of Garze, with a total of 21 deaths so far.
Several houses were severely damaged and telephone lines were interrupted. in some places, said public television, citing a press conference by local authorities.
In a video released by the official Xinhua news agency, hanging lamps were seen swinging and pieces of buildings on the ground.while stones blocking a road were visualized.
The tremor was felt in several cities in the province, including the regional capital Chengdu, which has 21 million inhabitants and is located about 200 kilometers from the epicenter.
More than 500 firefighters and rescuers were sent to the epicenter of the earthquake, said the official Chinese press agency Xinhua, reproduced by the AFP news agency.
The tremor was “relatively strong,” a Chengdu resident told AFP.
“Some of my downstairs neighbors said they had noticed it very clearly,” he added.
“I was rather scared. But it doesn’t seem like people here were too worried,” a Chongqing resident explained.
The highly mountainous province of Sichuan, famous for its panda reserves, regularly experiences earthquakes of varying intensity.
