Deadly Earthquake Hits SW China’s Sichuan Province

UPDATE 5 [12:00 UTC] – 124 confirmed dead, 2,700 injured (350 severely), unknown number trapped

– UPDATE 4 [09:00 UTC] – 104 confirmed dead, 2,500+ injured (150 seriously), unknown number trapped, 32 survivors out of rubble

A military vehicle carrying 17 soldiers to the quake-hit area in  Sichuan plunged 20 meters off a cliff on Saturday, killing at least one soldier and injuring 7 others, a report quoting military sources said.

– UPDATE 3 [08:00 UTC] – 78 confirmed dead, 2,200 injured, unknown number trapped

– UPDATE 2 [05:00 UTC] – 46 confirmed dead, 600 injured, unknown number trapped

– UPDATE 1 [04:00UTC] – Sichuan quake kills at least 80, injures about 500, unknown number trapped

Powerful Earthquake Kills at least 5, injures more than 100 in China

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan county  of Ya’an city in southwest China’s Sichuan Province at 8:02 a.m. Saturday  Beijing Time [00:02 UTC,] the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) reported.

• The shallow quake occurred at a depth of 13km [centered at 30.284°N, 102.956°E, according to USGS] said the provincial seismological bureau.

• The quake has killed at least 5 people and left more than 100 injured, reported the government of Lushan county, as of posting.

• The quake was strongly felt  in Sichuan’s capital city of Chengdu,  about 140 kilometers from Ya’an, reportedly for as long as 20 seconds.

• The quake was also felt in provinces of Guizhou, Gansu, Shaanxi and Yunnan, the report said.

The quake, registered as a 6.6Mw shock by USGS/EHP, was followed by several significant aftershocks.

An aerial photo of some of the damage caused by the earthquake in Lushan county, Ya’an, Sichuan province, SW China April 20, 2013. (Credit: China Daily via Reuters).

EQ Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH

• Earthquake Shaking Alert Level: RED

“Red alert level for economic losses. Extensive damage is probable and the disaster is likely widespread. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of China. Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response. Orange alert level for shaking-related fatalities. Significant casualties are likely.”  —USGS/EHP

The epicenter was close to that of the massive quake [2008 Sichuan earthquake, 31.021°N,103.367°E] that killed 70,000 people [figure quoted by Chinese government,] and left more than 5 million people homeless.

Sichuan is one of China’s four major natural-gas-producing provinces, and accounts for 14 percent of the country’s total output, said a report.

Related Links

• Another Deadly Earthquake Cluster Hits China Posted on August 31, 2008
• China Quake 1st Anniversary Posted on May 12, 2009

.

DISASTER CALENDAR – April 20, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,057 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,057 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs