Earthquake killed almost 400 people in southwest China

At least 381 people died, 1,800 were injured and dozens are missing after a 6.3 earthquake occur on the Richter scale on Sunday in Yunnan province, in southwestern China, according to the latest official figures provided by the agency Xinhua. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the depth was less than a mile (1,600 meters).

The China Seismological Centre reported that the quake occurred at 16:30 local time  and its epicenter was located at 27.1 degrees north latitude and 103.3 degrees east longitude with a depth of 12 kilometers in the Ludian County, with 265,900 inhabitants, located in the city of Zhaotong in Yunnan.

However, as confirmed by the official Xinhua news agency, most of the victims are from Zhaotong City of Qiaojie County, which has been severely affected by the earthquake. The quake toppled and damage many buildings, especially old and residential construction, as detailed Xinhua.

Police and paramilitary have been quick to move into the affected areas, and have begun moving 2,000 tents, 3,000 camp beds, 3,000 blankets and 3,000 coats to the region. The Yunnan provincial government has sent an emergency team of 30 people at the epicenter of the earthquake and quickly assessed the situation.

According to the South China Morning Post, the jolt was felt in nearby towns, including the provincial capital, Kunming, in addition to Chongqing, Leshan and Chengdu in the neighboring province of Sichuan.

Some local residents have already posted pictures of the aftermath of the earthquake, you may see broken windows and damaged doors or walls. “I felt a strong tremor in my apartment on the fifth floor, and some small items started falling off the shelves,” said one resident Ludian the official news agency Xinhua.

Most people left their homes into the street, said the resident, who has stated that the electricity has been cut and communication services have been affected, making it difficult to contact by phone Ludian neighbors. Another witness said he felt as if ” sail on a boat ” while driving his car during the quake.

Zhaotong is located 300 kilometers from Kunming, the provincial capital, where in 2012 an earthquake of 5.7 magnitude left more than 80 dead and injured more than 800 people.The southwest is an area of frequent seismic activity and, at this time of year, also suffers heavy rains, last month caused serious flooding and landslides.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on Aug 5 2014. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.