BEIJING: Sichuan, a province in southwest China, experienced a strong, shallow earthquake on Monday afternoon.
This was just the latest hardship for the locals, who have been suffering from a prolonged drought and the outbreak of Covid-19, which has locked down the capital.
According to the China Earthquake Administration, the 6.8-magnitude quake's epicenter was near Luding County, about 260 kilometers (161 mi) from the provincial capital Chengdu.
Sichuan is one of China's most earthquake-prone provinces because it is located along a significant fault line.
More than 69,000 people were killed in an 8.2 magnitude earthquake in 2008, about 80 kilometers from Chengdu. In 2013, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near the city of Yan, killing nearly 200 people.
The province is facing difficulties on several fronts due to Monday's earthquake.
A sudden lockdown was imposed by the authorities in Chengdu since Thursday night due to the growing outbreak of Kovid-19. Residents were instructed to stay inside, with one person per family allowed to leave each day to shop. Additionally daily nucleic acid tests were required until Wednesday.
Since mid-August, more than 1,000 cases have been documented in Chengdu alone, the 21 million-person transportation hub in the southwest. On Monday, Sichuan reported 80 new asymptomatic infections in addition to 105 new symptomatic cases.
The province has also suffered greatly as a result of unprecedented drought and heat waves that continue to cover large areas of China. Fields have dried up after a month without rain, and farmers have little or no access to irrigation equipment.
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