Shallow 5.5 quake units off rockslides in southwest China

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers had been headed to the location of a magnitude 5.5 earthquake Thursday in a area of southwestern China on the base of the Tibetan plateau that’s liable to lethal quakes.

Roads into the world have been blocked by rockslides, though there have been no reported casualties or different harm. The temblor struck at 3:49 a.m. at a comparatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in Sichuan province’s mountainous Luding county, in response to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Though 5.5. magnitude quakes aren’t notably sturdy, shallow temblors usually tend to trigger harm.

The official Xinhua Information Company stated about 100 rescuers had been on their solution to the location, nevertheless it gave no particulars on their work experience or duties. China usually mobilizes firefighters, paramilitary troops and native volunteers as first responders to earthquakes and wildfires in distant mountainous areas with restricted roads.

A 6.8 magnitude quake struck the identical area in September, killing greater than 90 folks, injuring over 400 and destroying or damaging hundreds of buildings.

The China Earthquake Networks Heart gave the magnitude as 5.6 and depth at 11 kilometers (6.8 miles). Aftershocks adopted within the space, together with one registering magnitude 4.9.

Roughly 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the provincial capital Chengdu, Luding is positioned within the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on the sting of the Tibetan Plateau, the place tectonic plates grind up in opposition to one another.

China’s deadliest earthquake in recent times was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008 that killed practically 90,000 folks in Sichuan. The temblor devastated cities, faculties and rural communities outdoors Chengdu, resulting in years of rebuilding with extra quake-resistant supplies.