Zhaotong Earthquake 2014: At least 381 killed in Ludian (Yunnan), China quake

Deadly earthquake with magnitude 6.1 has occurred in Ludian county in Zhaotong in southwest China's Yunnan province.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was located 29 km WSW of Zhaotong. It was 6.2 miles deep. Follow updates below.

Update 03:15 UTC, 2014/08/04
The death toll has now climbed to 381, Xinhua News Agency mentioned. It’s the strongest earthquake to hit Yunnan in 14 years.
A total of 7,000 rescuers, including 5,000 soldiers, police officers, and firefighters are working in the disaster area.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is en route to the quake region to supervise the disaster relief work.

Update 18:35 UTC
Death toll from Zhaotong earthquake has risen to 367. At least 122 of the dead were in Ludian. According to the China's official Xinhua News Agency, about 12,000 homes have collapsed in Ludian, a densely populated county located around 366 kilometers (277 miles) northeast of Yunnan's capital, Kunming.

Related Post: Latest natural calamities in China

At least 230 people have been dead and 1,400 others have been injured after an earthquake hit an area of Ludian county in Zhaotong in southwest China's Yunnan province.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was located 29 km WSW of Zhaotong. It was 6.2 miles deep. Follow updates below.
More than 2,500 officers and soldiers have been dispatched to join the disaster relief operation, the Xinhua News Agency said. Zhaotong City has dispatched more than 300 police and firefighters to the quake-hit area. 

The Rescue and Relief forces have set up a mobile base station in the direct epicenter area where people can call relatives and friends for free.

The normal river bed has been blocked by the earthquake landslides and a lake has been forming.in the Kraal river. Similar incident happened in Nepal yesterday when massive landslide near Barhabise blocked Sunkoshi river claiming lives of 10 people and left 155 people missing.



The video below shows the extend of the damage as well as the difficult terrain the rescue operations have to occur.



Zhaotong which lies about 300 km from Kunming is on the earthquake belt and has been occasionally jolted by quakes. Magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Zhaotong in 1974 had claimed lives of atleast 1,432 people.

08:30 UTC (local time 2014-08-03 16:30 @ epicenter)

Shaking Intensity (MMI)
VII (Very Strong): Wenping
VI (Strong): Zhaotong
IV (Light): Xinhua, Tiandiba, Weining and Temuli
III (Weak): Dadukou, Kunming, Zigong, Anshun and Neijiang

Epicenter Location
11 km (7mi) WNW of Wenping, China
29 km (18mi) WSW of Zhaotong, China
91 km (57mi) WNW of Weining, China
135 km (84mi) ESE of Xichang, China
731 km (454mi) NNW of Ha Noi, Vietnam

Zhaotong_earthquake_ludian_china_epicenter_map

The photo below shows the Chinese rescuers carrying an injured resident after an earthquake hit an area of Ludian county in Zhaotong in southwest China's Yunnan province (AFP Photo / China out ).

Zhaotong_earthquake_2014_photo

This photo shows the collapsed houses after an earthquake in Ludian county, Yunnan province of China (Reuters / China Daily).

Ludian_earthquake_2014_image

Original post: Natural Disasters List August 3, 2014

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