At Least 65 Dead in China After Earthquake amid Heat Wave, COVID Lockdown: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

Dozens of people have been reported dead after a strong earthquake struck southwest China on Monday, per multiple reports.

The U.S. Geological Survey(USGS) said the 6.6-magnitude quake struck just southwest of Sichuan’s capital Chengdu around 1 p.m. local time. The epicenter was located about 27 miles southeast of the city Kangding.

Collapsed building after an earthquake in Luding county, Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, 05 September 2022 (issued 06 September 2022). A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Luding County, Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan province, at 12:52 PM on 05 September, 2022.

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Rescuers in China’s Sichuan Province after the Sept. 5 earthquake.STRINGER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Rescuers search for the injured people after the earthquake in Luding county, Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, 06 September 2022. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit China’s southwest Sichuan province on 05 September. According to state media, the death toll has risen to at least 65 people, with more than 10 people missing and 200 injured. The strongest earthquake in the region since 2017 triggered landslides and shook the provincial capital Chengdu, whose 21 million residents are already under a COVID-19 lockdown. Chinese rescue teams saved 15 people while still trying to evacuate 1000 villagers from the epicenter in Luding that got isolated by the landslide. Rescue operation after earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province

Aftershocks continued into Tuesday, impacting an estimated one million people, according to CNN.

The Sichuan seismological authority announced that over 1,000 soldiers had been summoned to assist in the rescue efforts,The Guardianreported.

A man walks on the road after an earthquake in Luding county, Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, 05 September 2022

In June, Sichuan experienced two earthquakes that killed four people and injured dozens more, perThe Guardian.

“Because Chengdu is under epidemic management, people aren’t allowed to leave their residential compounds,” Chen told the outlet, “so many of them rushed out into their courtyards.”

Rescuers in China’s Sichuan provide after the Sept. 5 earthquake.STR/CNS/AFP via Getty

This photo taken on September 5, 2022 shows rescue workers evacuating residents after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Luding county, Ganzi, in China’s southwestern Sichuan province

The region has also experienced its worst heat wave on record this summer, according toCNNandAFP. The disaster led to a massive drought, during which water was scarce and wildfires raged.

“These so-called extreme weather events will have more impact on our lives and electricity supply,” Li Shuo, a climate adviser with Greenpeace in Beijing, told CNN. “And perhaps we all need to reconsider whether these extreme events will become the new normal.”

source: people.com

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