The epicenter was about 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Kangding, a city of about 100,000 people, according to the USGS. More than a million residents in the surrounding areas are estimated to have experienced moderate tremors after the quake, he added. China activated a level 3 emergency response and sent rescue teams to Luding County near the epicenter, according to China’s State Council. Chinese television network CGTN reported that rescue crews were helping to clear roads blocked by landslides caused by the earthquake. Sichuan, a province of 84 million people, was already facing a very difficult summer before the powerful earthquake. In the past two months, the province has suffered drought and the worst heatwave in 60 years. The inland region is prone to earthquakes due to the Langmenshan Fault that runs through the Sichuan Mountains. A magnitude 7.9 earthquake that hit Sichuan in 2008 was one of the country’s most devastating. Nearly 90,000 people were killed and tremors were felt in cities more than 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) away. Last year, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Sichuan, killing three people and injuring 60, according to state media at the time.
