Earthquake In Southwest China Kills 398, Injures Over 1,800
A deadly earthquake striking China's Ludian county in the country's south killed at least 398 people and injured over 1,800 Sunday, with numbers expected to rise. Rescue efforts are expected to be hampered by oncoming rainstorms.
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake occurred at 4:10 p.m. Sunday in the impoverished region of Ludian County, located northeast of Kunming. The massive earthquake, which reportedly struck at a depth of six miles, toppled older buildings and residences made of brick, while newer builds with more modern materials remained intact.
Although 230,000 people were successfully evacuated from the region, government officials and the Xinhua News Agency said the death and injury toll is likely to escalate as more debris is removed from the area. Approaching rainstorms are expected to delay the excavation process, although multiple trucks carrying paramilitary troops and volunteers arrived Sunday and Monday to begin the search for survivors.
One volunteer, Ma Yaoqi, recalled witnessing the dozens of bodies wrapped in blankets at the most severely-hit site. "I saw dead bodies being wrapped in quilts and carried away," Ma recalled, adding "Some were wrapped with small quilts. Those must be kids."
According to the BBC, this recent earthquake was the strongest to hit Ludian's mountainous region in the past 14 years.
China's President Xi Jinping released a statement calling for "all-out efforts" to reach the affected areas and find survivors. Troops dispatched to the area have encountered such immense destruction that in some areas they have had to hike by foot for three miles to recover survivors.
The United Nations and the U.S. have offered their condolences to the Asian country for its recent natural disaster, with the White House saying it "stands ready to assist."
