Southwest China has been jolted by an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale on August 31, 2013. The China Earthquake Networks Center informed that the earthquake hit at 8:04 am and the natural calamity claimed lives of four people, while six others sustained serious injuries.
Local authorities informed that 17 people in three tourist buses were trapped, as the earthquake triggered landslides which blocked a road in Yunnan province. The epicenter of the earthquake was monitored at 28.2 degrees north latitude and 99.4 degrees east longitude in the area bordering the counties of Shangri-La, Deqin of Yunnan province, as well as Derong county of Sichuan province.
Liao Wencai, the vice secretary of the Deqin County Committee of the Communist Party of China said that the quake was strongly felt in the county seat of Deqin. Liao said, “We are heading to Benzilan. The telecommunication there has been cut off, and many residents cannot be reached by mobile phone”. The traffic from Deqin has been blocked due to the earthquake-triggered landslides.
One of the residents of Benzilan said that houses did not collapse, but the quake was strongly felt. The losses due to the calamity are being investigated by the local authorities and tents, cloths quilts, folding beds and mattresses are being sent to the disaster-hit areas.
Photo Credits: VOA News
