Chinese earthquake claims over 40 lives and ruins property

According to Aljazeera, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook Chengdu, the provincial capital of China’s Sichuan province, and killed more than 40 people.

At a press conference on Monday, local authorities were quoted by Chinese state media, Xinhua, as saying that 46 people had died in the earthquake.

The China Earthquake Networks Centre said that Luding, a mountain town 226 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of Chengdu, was the epicenter.

On Monday, landslides damaged some roads and residences close to the epicentre, and state television reported that communications were down in at least one place.

Within 50km (31 miles) of the epicentre, no damage to dams or hydropower plants was observed.