NNA – The Chinese Center for Seismic Networks announced that a 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Sichuan Province (southwest of China) today, and the death toll is still unknown, Agence France-Presse reported.
The quake occurred at 17:00 local time (900 GMT), with a depth of 17 kilometers and its epicenter in Lushan, a rural populated area.
The quake was felt in several cities in the province, including the provincial capital Chengdu, regarding 100 kilometers to the east, according to netizens’ comments on social media network Weibo.
The US Geological Survey estimated the earthquake’s magnitude at 5.9, and its epicenter at a depth of 10 km.
The mountainous province of Sichuan, known in the world for panda reserves, is subjected to earthquakes of varying intensity several times a month.
Last September, 3 people were killed in this province as a result of an earthquake that displaced at least 10,000 people.
In May 2008, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake left 87,000 people dead or missing in Sichuan as well.
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