One killed as earthquake strikes southwestern China

January 31, 2010 04:22 pm | Updated 04:22 pm IST - BEIJING

Two children walk by a collapsed house after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in Suining, China's Sichuan province on Sunday. Photo: AP

Two children walk by a collapsed house after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in Suining, China's Sichuan province on Sunday. Photo: AP

A moderate earthquake jolted southwestern China on Sunday, killing one person and injuring 12 others, officials said. More than 200 houses were damaged or destroyed.

The quake struck at 5:37 a.m. (2137 GMT Saturday; 4:37 p.m. Saturday EDT) in Sichuan province and registered a magnitude of 5.2, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It said the quake was centered at a depth of 11.6 miles (18.6 kilometers).

The Sichuan provincial seismological bureau said all of the casualties occurred in the town of Moxi, near the epicenter, with a population of about 30,000 people. Three people were seriously injured, the bureau said.

It said the quake toppled 120 houses and damaged another 100.

A 30-member team arrived in Moxi to assist the local government, the bureau said.

Sichuan province is still rebuilding from a magnitude-7.9 quake that struck in May 2008, leaving almost 90,000 people dead or missing.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.