The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China's mountainous southwest rose to 74 on Wednesday, as thousands of people were evacuated to temporary shelters.
A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan province on Monday, according to the United States Institute of Geological Survey (USGS) - the world's benchmark organization for earthquakes.
A hilly area
The epicenter is in Luding Township, an area of valleys, rushing rivers and narrow roads on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, about 200 kilometers west of the provincial capital Chengdu.
Forty people died in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze and 34 in neighboring Shimian County, the People's Daily, the newspaper of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), reported on Wednesday.
More than 21,000 people have been evacuated from areas prone to landslides or building collapse, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
More than 20,000 people evacuated
Rescuers are still trying to reach isolated villages to help the inhabitants and find potential survivors.
Dozens of people are still believed to be stranded or missing.
“My head was stuck between two columns and my legs between tables”, explained to the provincial media Red Star News a woman stranded for nearly five hours in a collapsed hotel in the town of Moxi, very affected by the earthquake.
Monday's tremor also shook buildings in the provincial capital Chengdu, whose 21 million people are currently confined to their homes due to an outbreak of Covid-19.
At least 13 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or greater have been recorded since the first quake, according to the China Center for Seismic Networks (CENC).
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