DHARAMSHALA, AUGUST 5: At least 390 people have died and more than 1800 injured after a powerful earthquake rocked a mountainous region of southwest China on Sunday.
The earthquake measuring 6.5 on Richter Scale with its epicenter in Ludian County in Yunnan Province also rattled nearby province of Sichuan, Chinese state media reported.
An estimated 210,000 households and almost a million residents had been affected by the earthquake that struck at 4.30 (Beijing Time) on Sunday, according to state media.
Heavy rainfall for several days has hampered the relief effort. Landslide on the road leading to the most heavily affected area was blocked initially but was later cleared.
Most of the deaths were in Zhaotong, Xinhua said, with a smaller number reported in the city of Quijing.
President Xi Jinping and Premiere Li Keqiang called for “all-out efforts” in relief operations late Sunday night, urging relief workers to give top priority to saving lives, minimizing casualties and providing adequate shelter for displaced victims of the disaster.
Ludian County, with a population of 430,000, is an isolated region that lies in earthquake prone zone and is home to a mix of ethnic groups, including members of the Miao, Zhuang and Bai minorities.
