A series of earthquakes hit southwest China that killed at least four people, injured 41 others, damaged several structures, and suspended train lines, according to media reports.
At 7:48 a.m., a magnitude-3.2 earthquake struck Ya'an in southwest China's Sichuan Province. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, on Thursday (CENC). At a depth of 18 kilometers, the earthquake struck.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 17 kilometers (10 miles) in Ya'an, some 110 kilometers (65 miles) southwest of Chengdu, Sichuan's capital, on Wednesday afternoon, according to the China Earthquake Network Center. Three minutes later, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Xinhua News Agency reported.
The earthquake relief headquarters in Ya'an city stated those killed were struck by falling rocks, and the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment, as per ABC News.
Some properties were ruined, according to the Sichuan fire department, and around 1,400 rescuers were dispatched to the region. Some portions of the track were closed, creating passenger train delays, per the Southwest Railway Authority.
In addition, five hydroelectric stations in Lushan County were damaged, and the affected people were evacuated.
Tremors Caught on Cam
According to local officials, the earthquakes affected a total of 13,081 people in the city, with 135 residences severely damaged and 4,374 houses mildly damaged.
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake also struck a Chinese school in the southwestern region of Sichuan, according to images aired by China's public broadcaster CCTV reported by BBC.
A video shows dozens of panicked schoolchildren were seen ducking beneath their desks before quickly running out of the classroom with their hands over their heads.
Another video shared on social media by government network CGTN claimed to show the initial quake triggering a landslide that destroyed automobiles and strewn boulders and mud across a road.
Local authorities stated during a press conference on Thursday morning that rescue efforts are ongoing in earthquake-hit Ya'an City.
More than 800 municipal reinforcements have been mobilized in Ya'an city to conduct search and rescue, treatment of the injured, road scrambling, and relocation of quake-affected individuals.
Local officials reported that 200 tents, 1,000 quilts, and 200 tent lights had been sent to Lushan and Baoxing counties as of Thursday morning; and that 61 temporary shelters had been set up,34 in Baoxing county and 27 in Lushan county, for the transfer of 12,722 persons impacted by calamity.
Currently, 69 vehicles, 236 professionals, and 37 unmanned aerial vehicles have been deployed to inspect 1,953 potential geological hazards in and around the quake-affected locations, and implement disaster prevention measures to prevent further disasters caused by earthquakes and rainfall.
Sichuan is Earthquake Prone
CTGN said provincial officials claimed the first earthquake was an aftershock of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in 2013, which killed 196 people, according to Washington Post.
Sichuan is prone to earthquakes with its mountainous terrain. However, it is a popular tourist destination as it is home to giant pandas.
In recent years, China's deadliest earthquake was a 7.9 magnitude quake also in Sichuan in 2008, which killed approximately 90,000 people. Among the casualties were children in a poorly constructed school building that collapsed.
Another shallow quake destroyed tens of thousands of homes last September per Channel News Asia, killing three people and injuring many more.
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