China Earthquake Update: Two Earthquakes Kill At Least Four People, Cause Infrastructural Damage, and Travel Delay in Sichuan

Two earthquakes struck Sichuan, a southwestern province in China, on Wednesday afternoon, June 1, killing at least four people, causing infrastructural damage, and resulting in travel delays.

The tremors ranged between 6.1 and 4.5 magnitudes on the Richter scale, according to recent updates by local authorities and state media agency.

Initial assessment of the natural calamity suggests that only one earthquake occurred in the province.

However, it was followed by another earthquake on the same day.

In addition, details of the number of casualties have also changed as 14 people have been confirmed injured.

Earthquakes do occur in China but not as often in places situated along fault lines above the tectonic plates.

If they do occur, the intensity can be destructive and level from moderate to high which posing life-threatening risks, especially in urban and mountainous areas.

The recent earthquakes occur after a similar event killed hundreds of people in the region in 2013 and transpire more than a decade after China's deadliest earthquake in modern history was recorded in Sichuan, killing dozens of thousands of people.

Sichuan Earthquake Update

Both earthquakes struck the city of Ya'an in the province with the first tremor occurred in Lushan County at around 5:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday and had a depth of 10 miles (17 kilometers), situated 65 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu, according to the China Earthquake Network Center, as cited by Reuters.

The second quake happened three in minutes later Baoxing County, and Xinhua News Agency, as cited by CNBC.

More than 1,400 rescuers arrived in the area and the quake impact damage some houses, according to the Sichuan fire department.

The Southwest Railway Authority also announced the closure of some sections of train tracks, leading to railway disruptions affecting passenger trains.

Casualties and Infrastructural Damage

All the casualties of the earthquakes were confirmed, as of 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday, to be from the Baoxing county of the province.

The four people who died were hit by falling rocks or landslides. The wounded were sent to the hospital for medical treatment, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The Chinese state media also added that the quake damaged telecommunication Lushan County and Baoxing County.

Emergency repairs led to the restoration of some optic cables.

Furthermore, the agency cited a statement from the provincial earthquake administration that the 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Lushan County was an aftershock of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck the county in 2013, which killed 196 people and injuring thousands.

2008 Sichuan Earthquake

Also called the Great Sichuan earthquake or the Wenchuan earthquake, Sichuan was struck by a 7.9 magnitude quake back in 2008, which killed almost 90,000 people and injured almost 400,000 with approximately 18,000 missing people.

Multiple studies posted on Science Direct collectively asserted that 2008 Sichuan earthquake resulted in at least 828 landslide dams, while some only limited them to 257.

In addition, the said quake occurred in the afternoon of that year which reportedly meant that children were attending their classes in schools and workers were present in factories.