China earthquake death toll hits 82

The death toll from a strong earthquake that struck South-West China, on Thursday, rose to 82.

The magnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43 kilometres (26 miles) South-East of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometres on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey, forcing thousands to be resettled into temporary camps.

State broadcaster CCTV said no fewer than 46 people died in Ganzi prefecture near the epicentre, while 36 deaths were reported in neighbouring Ya’an city.

More than 270 were injured, while the number of missing remained at 35.

The national weather service said moderate rain will continue in the affected earthquake area on Thursday and Friday, with some localised heavy showers.

“Since the post-earthquake geological conditions are inherently fragile, and the impact of additional rainfall may lead to landslides and mudslides, the local area needs to beware of secondary disasters,” China’s meteorological administration said.

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The People’s Liberation Army, paramilitary police, and fire rescue services dispatched more than 10,000 workers to the area, who continued search operations and landslide clean-up efforts in the remote countryside.

According to the state-owned People’s Daily newspaper, over 22,000 people have so far been resettled into 124 temporary sites across Ganzi and Ya’an,

The paper said over 21,000 students and staff at a school in Shimian county – where Ya’an is located – were safely evacuated within one minute of the quake.

Nearly 1,800 schools in the area had reopened by Wednesday, while local authorities have received over 100 million yuan ($14 million) in disaster relief donations so far.

Residents said the earthquake also rocked buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu – where millions are confined to their homes under a strict COVID-19 lockdown – and in the nearby megacity of Chongqing.

The Star