4 dead, 14 injured after earthquake hits China's Sichuan

Photo taken on June 1, 2022 shows a view inside a damaged post office after an earthquake in Baoxing County of Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Four people have been confirmed dead and 14 others are injured after an earthquake jolted the city of Ya'an in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday afternoon, according to the city's earthquake relief headquarters. The four people who died were hit by falling rocks, while the injured have been sent to hospital for treatment. (Photo by Wang Yingfa/Xinhua)

CHENGDU, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Four people have been confirmed dead and 14 others are injured after an earthquake jolted the city of Ya'an in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday afternoon, according to the city's earthquake relief headquarters.

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake rattled Lushan County of Ya'an in Sichuan, at 5 p.m. Wednesday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The epicenter, with a depth of 17 km, was monitored at 30.4 degrees north latitude and 102.9 degrees east longitude, the CENC said.

The earthquake was followed by a 4.5-magnitude quake at 5:03 p.m. in Baoxing County, the city of Ya'an.

As of 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, all the casualties were reported in Baoxing County, the city's earthquake relief headquarters said, adding that the four people who died were hit by falling rocks, while the injured have been sent to hospital for treatment.

Telecommunication in parts of the two counties was damaged due to the quake, but some optical cables have been restored after emergency repairs.

Ya'an has activated the second-highest level of emergency response for the earthquake and is conducting damage assessments.

More than 4,500 people from emergency rescue, the armed police, the fire department, the medical sector and other departments were dispatched to the earthquake-hit areas to search for and rescue the injured, repair roads and relocate affected residents.

The provincial earthquake administration said that the 6.1-magnitude earthquake of Lushan was an aftershock of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the county in 2013. 

Photo taken on June 1, 2022 shows a view inside a damaged post office after an earthquake in Baoxing County of Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Four people have been confirmed dead and 14 others are injured after an earthquake jolted the city of Ya'an in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday afternoon, according to the city's earthquake relief headquarters. The four people who died were hit by falling rocks, while the injured have been sent to hospital for treatment. (Photo by Wang Yingfa/Xinhua)