6.8 Quake Hits China: At Least 21 Killed, Damaging Homes, Sending Panicked Residents Fleeing Into Streets

At least 21 people killed as 6.8-magnitude earthquake hits China, damaging homes and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets

AFP and REUTERS and TOM BROWN FOR MAILONLINE

• A total of 39,000 people live within 20 km of the epicentre and 1.55 million within 100km, said state media
• The earthquake was the strongest to hit Sichuan since 2017 with residents 100s of miles away feeling tremors
• More than 500 rescue personnel have been dispatched to the epicentre, state broadcaster CGTN reported
• Videos showed homes shaking in the provincial capital Chengdu, a city of about 21 million people

At least 21 people have died after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 hit southwest China on Monday, according to state media.

Some roads and homes near the epicentre were damaged by landslides in China's Sichuan province, while communications were down in at least one area, state television reported.

The quake is the strongest to hit the region since 2017, with the shaking felt hundreds of kilometres away in the cities of Xian and Changsha.

The epicentre was at the town of Luding at a depth of 10 miles, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said. Four of those killed were in Luding.

Posts on Monday from Chinese social media website Weibo showed lampshades swinging in provincial capital Chengdu, a city of about 21 million people, approximately 140 miles from the epicentre.

A total of 39,000 people live within 12 miles of the epicentre and 1.55 million within 62 miles, according to state television.

Buildings lay half collapsed as residents picked their way through the wreckage. The epicentre was at the town of Luding at a depth of 16 km, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said

Widespread damage is shown across Sichuan region in China after 6.8 earthquake. Some roads and homes near the epicentre were damaged by landslides, while communications were down in at least one area, state television reported

Laura Luo, who lives in Chengdu, a city of about 21 million people, was on her way to her apartment block when she saw people rushing out of their high-rise homes in panic after getting earthquake warnings on their phones.

'There were many people who were so terrified they started crying,' the international PR consultant told Reuters.

'All the dogs started barking. It was really quite scary,' she said, referring to when the quake began.

In Luding, the quake was so strong it was hard for some people to remain standing, while cracks appeared on some houses, the China News Service reported.

No damage to dams and hydropower stations within 31 miles of the epicentre was reported, although damage to the provincial grid had affected power to about 40,000 end-users. 

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