Earthquake of 7 Richter scale near the Nine Camp Cau tourist area, at least 5 people died

Five people died and 100 tourists were stuck after a strong earthquake of about 7 Richter scale in Sichuan province, southwest China.

The 7-magnitude Richter quake shook the Jiuzhaigou District, Sichuan Province at 21h19 (Beijing time), Xinhua cited information from the China Earthquake Network Center, the epicenter at a depth of 20km.

The Sichuan earthquake monitoring agency said the epicenter was located in Ngawa autonomous region , where most Tibetans live, but it is also located near the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve , a popular tourist destination. language. The US Geological Survey identified 6.5 magnitude earthquake, with an epicenter at a depth of 10km.

The Sichuan government identified five deaths and 63 injuries, of which 30 were seriously injured. All deaths are tourists, according to People's Daily. Although there are no confirmed nationalities of the victims, very few foreign tourists come to these remote areas, meaning there is a possibility that the dead are Chinese, Reuters said.

The government also announced that 100 tourists were stranded due to landslides, but there is no information of people being killed or injured among them. Chen Weide, a government spokesman, said it was unclear what had happened to them, whether they were buried or only trapped by blocked roads.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction estimates that there may be up to 100 people dead, based on 2010 population data of this sparsely populated mountainous region. More than 130,000 houses could be damaged, the committee announced on its website, based on an initial analysis of the remote disaster in Sichuan province, according to AFP.

The car was damaged after the earthquake.(Photo: Xinhua).

Xinhua reported that the reception area of ​​a hotel collapsed, leaving some people stranded, but 500 people were safely evacuated from the building.

Areas often shake because of earthquakes.

Images on social networks show some damage in Jiuzhaigou, like bricks falling from buildings, people gathering outside.

State television announced that electricity was largely restored in the affected area and the military also deployed rescue forces. Jiuzhaigou Airport operates normally after the runway is checked.

A policeman told many tourists panic when an earthquake struck. An official from the Nine Camp Tourists said some houses collapsed or cracked and the authorities were evacuating.

A hotel after the earthquake.(Photo: Xinhua).

The Sichuan government announced that more than 38,000 tourists now visit Jiuzhaigou. People in Chengdu, Sichuan capital also felt shaking.

The earthquake area tonight located not far from the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008 killed nearly 70,000 people.