BEIJING: Chinese firefighters worked in treacherous terrain on Tuesday to help evacuate more than 11,000 people after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck China’s mountainous southwestern province of Sichuan a day earlier, killing at least 66 people.

In Sichuan’s capital, Che­ngdu, authorities have maintained strict Covid-19 lockdown measures, which were not eased even after the tremors.

Social media footage sho­w­ed officials stopping res­i­dents from leaving their apartment buildings despite the tremors shaking the structures.

State media footage, take­n at the epicentre in Luding county, showed firefighters stretchering an injured person across a makeshift bridge built with tree trunks as mud­dy torrents raged below them.

The death toll from the strongest earthquake to hit China’s southwestern Sich­uan province since 2017 rose to 66 on Tuesday, though dozens of people were suffering heavy injuries.

On Tuesday, state television reported over 200 people were still stranded in Hail­uogou, a popular tourist spot known for its glaciers, verdant forests and soaring peaks. Rescuers were working to reopen roads to reach them.

Taiwan offers help

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s government expressed its condolences to China and said it was ready to send rescuers, in a sign of goodwill to Beijing despite weeks of military tensions.

China, which claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory despite strong objections of the government in Taipei, has been carrying out drills around the island following a visit last month by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwan’s presidential off­i­ce said President Tsai Ing-wen had offered her “sympathy and concern” after Mon­day’s quake in southwestern China which killed at least 46 people.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2022