Sharjah24 – AFP: At least seven people were killed when a strong earthquake struck southwestern China on Monday, state media reported, as violent tremors in a remote region damaged homes and left some areas without electricity.
The Magnitude 6.6 quake hit around 43 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.
Tremors shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu -- where millions are confined to their homes under a strict Covid lockdown -- and in the nearby megacity of Chongqing, local residents said.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that at least seven people died and at least one town had suffered "severe damage" from mountain landslides triggered by the quake.
A road to another town was blocked while telecommunications lines in areas home to more than 10,000 people were severed, according to CCTV.
The shocks also forced some power stations offline in the areas of Garze and Ya'an, the broadcaster said.
A video posted online by the China Earthquake Networks Center showed boulders thundering down mountainsides in stricken Luding county, kicking up clouds of dust as tremors swayed roadside telephone wires.
State media reported that several aftershocks were recorded in nearby areas. A smaller Magnitude 4.6 tremor hit eastern Tibet less than an hour after the initial quake, according to the USGS.
Hundreds of rescue personnel were dispatched to the epicentre while workers attempted to clear roads blocked by landslides, according to state broadcaster CGTN.
Photos published by state media showed officials in military fatigues heaving shovels and other equipment along a highway -- all while wearing face masks as a Covid-19 precaution.
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