Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake in Luding, Sichuan, China... No Casualties Reported

By 11 a.m. that day, over 100 aftershocks occurred

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] An earthquake occurred in Luding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, causing 260 residents to evacuate. However, no casualties have been reported so far.

House collapsed due to Luding County earthquake
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The China Seismological Bureau announced on the 26th that an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 and a focal depth of 11,000 meters occurred in Luding County, Sichuan Province, China, at around 3:49 a.m.

The epicenter was located 8 km away from the site of a magnitude 6.8 major earthquake that occurred last September. Seismologists analyzed that this earthquake was an aftershock of last year's major quake.

The earthquake caused houses to collapse, landslides, and rockfalls, resulting in the closure of some roads and damage to several bridges. The Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park was closed, leading to an emergency evacuation of about 5,000 tourists and 260 local residents.

By 11 a.m. on the same day, the Seismological Bureau reported that more than 100 aftershocks of various magnitudes, including one of magnitude 4.5, had occurred.

However, major roads such as highways were soon reopened, communication and power supply were restored to normal, and no casualties were reported, according to China Central Television.

The Sichuan Fire Department Command Center dispatched rescue and response personnel to the earthquake-affected area and ordered the mobilization and readiness of rescue teams in Chengdu, Leshan, and Meishan.

In Luding County, a magnitude 6.8 major earthquake and several aftershocks occurred on September 5 last year, resulting in 93 deaths and 24 missing persons. Additionally, about 50,000 houses were damaged, causing approximately 110,000 people to become displaced.

On November 16 last year, a magnitude 4.3 earthquake also occurred in Taiping Town, Hui Li City, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, about 350 km away from Luding County.

Sichuan is located at the boundary between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, where fault activity intensifies whenever the two tectonic plates collide, making it the region in China where earthquakes occur most frequently.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.