3 injured, houses damaged in 6.1-magnitude earthquake in China's Sichuan province
Beijing, Jun 1: Three people were severely injured and several houses were damaged when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake rattled the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Wednesday.
The earthquake struck Lushan county of Ya'an City at 5:00 pm local time. The epicentre, with a depth of 17 km, was monitored at 30.37 degrees north latitude and 102.94 degrees east longitude, the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC) said.
At least three people were severely injured in the quake, Chengdu Economic Daily reported, citing Ya'an's health department.
The quake was followed by strong aftershocks.
Three minutes after the quake, Baoxing County was struck by an aftershock of 4.5 magnitude.
Strong tremors were also felt as far as Sichuan's capital city of Chengdu and Chongqing Municipality, the state-run CGTN reported.
Provincial firefighters of over 1,400 people have been mobilised to the sites. Meanwhile, rescue teams of adjacent Guizhou, Yunnan provinces and Chongqing municipality are prepared as reinforcements.
The Sichuan fire department said some houses in Lushan County were partially damaged and it's continuing communicating with relevant counties and towns that have been affected.
The municipal government of Ya'an has activated a Level-II emergency response, the second highest of the four-tier system of emergency responses.
China's ministry of emergency management has also sent a team of experts to Lushan for rescue and relief operations.
Due to the two quakes, China's railway authority has urgently halted relevant sections of train lines.
Sichuan province suffered China's deadliest 7.9 magnitude earthquake in 2008 in which 90,000 people were killed.
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JK: Fire breaks out in commercial building near Lal Chowk, 19 gas cylinders recovered
Srinagar (PTI): A fire broke out in a five-storey commercial building near the Lal Chowk city centre here on Saturday, but was doused before it could spread in the congested business hub, officials said.
They said firefighters recovered 19 gas cylinders during the operation and there were no casualties in the incident.
Assistant Director, Fire and Emergency Services, Aqib Mir, said, "The fire originated from the attic portion of the building, which houses the kitchen of a restaurant. The cause of the fire is being ascertained."
"The attic was severely damaged. There were no casualties," he said.
The firefighters managed to contain the damage by swiftly dousing the blaze using a hydraulic platform, Mir said.
During the firefighting operation, 19 gas cylinders were recovered from the spot, he said.
"We have informed the concerned police station," he added.
Mir appealed to people not to store combustible substances at home or commercial places.
