At least 46 dead, 16 missing in quake in southwestern China

By Emre Aytekin

BEIJING (AA) - At least 46 people were killed and 16 others are missing after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit China's southwestern province of Sichuan, Chinese authorities said on Monday.

The China Earthquake Networks Center said that the quake hit Luding county in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture at 12:52 p.m. local time (0452GMT).

The quake was at a depth of 16 kilometers (9 miles), and over 50 people were injured.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out rescue efforts to minimize casualties” following the quake, according to local media.

“Xi stressed strengthening quake monitoring, guarding against secondary disasters, and properly accommodating those affected,” Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

According to Xinhua, Xi also “asked the Ministry of Emergency Management and other departments to send teams to Sichuan to guide the relief work and ordered the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force to actively assist local disaster relief efforts.”

The earthquake came after a lockdown announced this week in the provincial capital of Chengdu and a power shortage due to a drought as well as rising COVID-19 cases in Sichuan.

Located on a major fault line, Sicuan is one of the places in China where major quakes occur most frequently.

In 2008, 69,000 people were killed in an 8.2 magnitude earthquake that struck 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Chengdu. In 2013, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit near the city of Ya'an, claiming nearly 200 lives.