Tremors shake Sichuan Province in southwest China. Seven people are killed, houses and roads were destroyed. However, earthquakes are not uncommon in the province.
Beijing – An earthquake in southwest China has killed at least seven people. Earthquakes on Monday in Sichuan province reached magnitude 6.8, according to seismologists, state media reported. The tremors were felt particularly clearly in the Luding district southwest of the metropolis of Chengdu.
Landslides had occurred, reported state television. In the village of Detuo, houses were badly damaged. Communications were cut in Moxi and Yanzigou. Roads were damaged in Lengfeng. In the district town of Luding, people had run out of their houses onto the streets out of fear.
In 2008, the province was hit by a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. At that time, more than 80,000 people died. Sichuan lies at the edge of the thrust zone of the Indian tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate. Because of plate shifts, the province is particularly at risk of earthquakes. dpa
