The magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck a mountainous region near a national park that is one of China’s top tourist attractions.
BEIJING—Stranded tourists and residents struggled Wednesday to clear roads and cope with power cuts caused by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 19 people and injured 247.
The magnitude 6.5 quake struck a mountainous region near a national park that is one of the country’s top tourist attractions. Rescuers dug through rubble with their hands and used detectors to search for signs of life. The Tuesday night quake knocked out power and phone networks, complicating efforts to locate and evacuate survivors.
Most of the deaths and injuries were recorded in Zhangzha township, near to Jiuzhaigou or Jiuzhai Valley, a national park known for spectacular waterfalls and karst formations that attracts visitors from China and overseas.
Yang Jie, who owns a hostel in Zhangzha, said she was at a hotpot restaurant with friends when the lights went out and everything started shaking at around 9: 20 p.m. Tuesday.
“People were rushing out, some people were screaming, ” Yang said by phone. “On our way home, there were rocks falling down from the hills on both sides of the road. We couldn’ t get through on the phone because there was no signal.”
Yang and her friends returned to find large cracks in her hostel and set up tents outside for guests to sleep in.
On Wednesday, she said the building was still without power, stores were closed and “houses around us are damaged beyond recognition.”
“The whole night, even right now, there has been no one from the government dropping by to tell us what’s going on or what to do, ” Yang said. “There were more than 30 guests at my hostel, I have to start fires to keep them warm.
