Luxian County, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, was hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake at 29.20 degrees north latitude, 105.34 degrees east longitude, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers at 4:33 on September 16, according to the official measurements from China Earthquake Networks.
As of noon last Friday, the quake left three people dead and 146 others injured. The rescue work covers all 20 townships of the county, and a total of 76548 residents were relocated, with 121 temporary shelters set up, according to Xinhua News.
Last Friday, Gospel Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, contacted local pastors, learning that some churches and believers’ homes were damaged to varying degrees.
According to Gospel Church in Luxian County, an earthquake relief team was set up by local churches soon after the earthquake. Lishi Church and Jiaming Church in the county were seriously destroyed, with walls torn and the roof severely damaged. Rainwater seeped in through the wall, causing serious security risks, so the relief team organized the church guards to evacuate in time.
According to the statistics, 20 believers’ homes were seriously damaged, while 200 generally were damaged. One injured Christian was in a hospital for treatment.
After learning about the situation of the disaster area, with assistance from Amity Foundation, Luzhou Municipal TSPM and Luxian County CC delivered relief supplies worth more than 100,000 yuan to the resettlement sites and homes of the victims, including mineral water, milk, instant noodles, cakes, and bread.
Battered by the powerful earthquake, the local area was still short of supplies such as tents and beds. Please pray for the post-disaster reconstruction and the spiritual care of the victims.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
