6.8 magnitude earthquake leaves at least 46 dead in southwest China

An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale has struck southwest China’s Sichuan province on Monday, leaving at least 46 people dead.

There are also 16 people missing and more than 50 injured, the deputy director of the emergency management department of Sichuan province, Wang Feng, has reported, quoted by Xinhua news agency.

Among the deceased are 29 residents of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, while the other 17 are from Yaan city.

The epicenter was located 39 kilometers from Luding County in western Sichuan province, 47 kilometers from the city of Kangding and 226 kilometers from the city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, the China Seismological Networks Center (CENC) has reported.

For his part, China’s President Xi Jinping has ordered all necessary rescue efforts to try to prevent the death toll from rising further, reports the official ‘China Daily’.

Thus, the Chinese leader has advocated to monitor the aftershocks of the earthquake, protect against possible future natural disasters arising from the earthquake, and accommodate those affected, for which he has ordered the army and police to help “actively” in the relief efforts.

More than 80,000 people died in Sichuan in 2008 when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the region. The province is particularly prone to earthquakes because it lies between the Indian and Eurasian continental plates, DPA has learned.