The death toll from a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit China's southwestern province of Sichuan climbed to 66 on Tuesday, with more than 250 people injured and at least 15 still missing, the country's media reported.
Rescue work continued following the quake that struck Luding County in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture at 12:52 p.m. Monday at a depth of 16 kilometers, under President Xi Jinping's order to make all-out efforts to minimize casualties.
China has deployed more than 6,500 rescuers, four helicopters and two unmanned aerial vehicles, while over 50,000 people in Ganzi and the neighboring city of Ya'an have been evacuated to safety, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
The Xinhua report quoted a rescuer as saying many aftershocks have occurred and that some roads were blocked. In the mountainous town of Moxi in Luding County, electricity and communications were cut, and emergency power-generation equipment was used for residents taking shelter, it added.
The epicenter was 226 km from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, which is currently under lockdown following a COVID-19 outbreak. The temblor was also felt in the city.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management have earmarked 50 million yuan (about $7.25 million) to support rescue and relief work, according to the Xinhua report.
Earthquakes frequently strike Sichuan. A large quake that jolted the province in 2008 left over 87,000 people dead or missing, including a number of pupils under flattened school buildings.
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M6.8 quake kills 30 in China's southwestern province of Sichuan
