A series of earthquakes have struck around the world, including a 5.5 magnitude quake in Sichuan, China.
According to the China Earthquake Network Center, the earthquake hit at 12:12 a.m. local time on June 29 in Gao County, Yibin City, located in southwestern Sichuan. The epicenter was recorded at a latitude of 28.50 degrees north and a longitude of 104.69 degrees east, with a depth of 6 kilometers.
State-run Xinhua News Agency reported that as of 4 a.m. local time, there were no fatalities from the quake, but 13 people sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment at hospitals. Additionally, 196 residents were evacuated to safe locations.
In Gao County, 21 houses were reported to have cracks, with three suffering significant damage. Landslides and falling rocks affected about 12 roads, but authorities have begun emergency repairs to restore access.
Local officials stated that transportation, power, and communication services remained normal following the earthquake, and they are investigating any additional damage. The China Earthquake Administration activated a Level 3 emergency response system immediately after the quake to facilitate rescue and recovery efforts.
Earlier this month, on June 16, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, resulting in one death and four injuries. The epicenter was located at a latitude of 37.80 degrees north and a longitude of 95.56 degrees east, with a depth of 10 kilometers.
Not only in China, but earthquakes have also been occurring in various regions worldwide. On June 24, two powerful quakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck off the northern Caribbean coast of Venezuela within a minute of each other, causing widespread devastation.
According to Reuters and the Associated Press, Jorge Rodriguez, the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, reported that the death toll from the earthquakes has reached 1,450, with 3,150 injured and 12,721 displaced. A total of 774 buildings were damaged, including 189 that collapsed completely.
Shortly after the Venezuelan earthquakes, a 6.9 magnitude quake occurred off the coast of Iwate Prefecture in Japan, followed by a 5.7 magnitude quake north of Oshino. In the southern Philippines, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Mindanao, an area that had previously experienced a 7.8 magnitude quake on June 8, resulting in at least 61 deaths.
The recent series of earthquakes has heightened concerns in regions along the Pacific Ring of Fire, including Japan, the Philippines, and Nicaragua. The Ring of Fire is a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) volcanic and tectonic plate boundary surrounding the Pacific Ocean, where a significant number of the world's earthquakes occur.
However, experts suggest that the recent earthquakes are unlikely to be directly connected. Peter Stafford, a professor of engineering seismology at Imperial College London, told Anadolu Agency that the timing of the quakes is likely a statistical coincidence.
He added that the stress transfer effect between distant regions like California, Japan, and Venezuela is minimal, and if there were a physical connection, seismic activity would have been observed in intermediate fault lines over a broader area.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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