Earthquake kills at least 367 in China
About 12,000 homes collapsed in Ludian, a densely populated county around 366km northeast of Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, China’s Xinhua News Agency reported.
The magnitude-6.1 quake struck at 4:30pm local time at a depth of 10km, according to the US Geological Survey. Its epicentre was in Longtoushan township, 23km southwest of the city of Zhaotong, the Ludian county seat.
Ma Liya, a resident of Zhaotong, told Xinhua that the streets there were like a “battlefield after bombardment”. She added that her neighbour’s house, a new two-storey building, had toppled, and said the quake was far worse than one that struck the area in 2012 and killed 81 people.
“The aftermath is much, much worse than what happened after the quake two years ago,” Ma said. “I have never felt such strong tremors before. What I can see are all ruins.”
Xinhua said at least 367 people were killed in the quake, with 1,881 injured. Rescuers were still trying to reach victims in more remote towns last night.
Photos on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media site, showed rescuers searching through flattened buildings.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered “his condolences to the Chinese Government and the families of those killed”, according to a statement from his office. The statement said the UN is ready to “lend its assistance to efforts to respond to humanitarian needs” and “to mobilise any international support needed”.
Many of the homes that collapsed in Ludian, which has a population of about 429,000, were old and made of brick, Xinhua said, adding that electricity and telecommunications were cut off in the county.
The mountainous region is largely agricultural, with farming and mining the top industries, and is prone to earthquakes.
Relief efforts were under way, with more than 2,500 troops dispatched to the disaster area.
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