Powerful 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Kills 4 In Southern China, Injures 14

The earthquake rattled Lushan County of Ya'an in Sichuan at 5:00 pm local time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC). It said the epicentre, with a depth of 17 km, was monitored at 30.4 degrees north latitude and 102.9 degrees east longitude.

All the casualties were reported from Baoxing County, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, quoting Ya'an city's earthquake relief headquarters.

A second 4.5-magnitude earthquake later hit Boaxing County, also under the city of Ya'an.?

The city has activated the second-highest level of emergency response for the earthquake and is conducting damage assessments.

More than 800 personnel from emergency rescue, the armed police, the fire department, the medical sector and the public security bureau were immediately dispatched to the earthquake-hit areas to search for and rescue the injured, repair roads and relocate affected residents.

The Ministry of Emergency Management said an A level-III national emergency response has been activated to conduct the relief operations. It added a work team has been dispatched to guide and assist the local emergency rescue efforts.

It further said local firefighters have reached the epicentre, while quake rescue teams of Sichuan and other neighbouring regions are on standby for relief operations.

The Sichuan province suffered China's deadliest 7.9-magnitude earthquake in 2008 in which 90,000 people were killed.?

(With PTI inputs)