BEIJING: A 5.5 magnitude earthquake rattled southwestern China’s Sichuan province on Saturday, part of the country frequently struck by temblors, with initial reports of only minor damage and no reports of casualties.
The quake struck 78 kilometers (48 miles) west of Guangyuan city, the United States Geological Survey said, with a depth of 10 km (6 miles).
People close to the epicenter said on Chinese social media that they felt shaking, and some posted pictures of people rushing outside of buildings.
State media showed pictures of tiles having fallen off walls, bottles toppled over and in one rural area some rocks having fallen onto roads and what appeared to be a small collapsed barn.
The official Xinhua news agency said there were no reports yet of any injuries or deaths.
The Sichuan government said several rail services had been suspended for safety checks, but that it had not received any reports of power being cut off in any parts of the province.
It also showed pictures from Qingchuan county, the quake’s epicenter, with everything looking as normal and with no damage.
The quake hit a mountainous area between the cities of Guangyuan and Mianyang.
Sichuan is often struck by tremors. A huge quake there in 2008 killed almost 70,000 people.
In August, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck a remote part of the same province near a popular tourist area, killing 20 people and injuring around 500, many of them in landslides.
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Quake rattles southwestern China causing minor damage
Quake rattles southwestern China causing minor damage
North Korea unveils image of leader’s daughter firing rifle
SEOUL: North Korea released a rare image on Saturday of leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor.
Kim’s daughter Ju Ae has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including this week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju Ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope with her finger on the trigger, smoke rising from the barrel.
She was wearing what appeared to be a leather jacket, a garment often worn by both her and her father at major political events, symbolising authority and legitimacy.
KCNA reported on Saturday that Kim presented new sniper rifles to senior party and military officials, describing the move as a gesture of appreciation and “absolute trust,” without mentioning Ju Ae.
He then visited a shooting range with the officials, where he fired the rifle and took a group photo, it added.
South Korea’s spy agency said this month that Pyongyang appears to have started the process of designating Ju Ae as leader Kim’s successor.
By underscoring Ju Ae’s ability to handle and fire a weapon, the photos “suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
KCNA also said Saturday that Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong will head the party’s general affairs department — a role analysts describe as akin to a party secretary-general.
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country.
Kim’s daughter Ju Ae has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including this week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju Ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope with her finger on the trigger, smoke rising from the barrel.
She was wearing what appeared to be a leather jacket, a garment often worn by both her and her father at major political events, symbolising authority and legitimacy.
KCNA reported on Saturday that Kim presented new sniper rifles to senior party and military officials, describing the move as a gesture of appreciation and “absolute trust,” without mentioning Ju Ae.
He then visited a shooting range with the officials, where he fired the rifle and took a group photo, it added.
South Korea’s spy agency said this month that Pyongyang appears to have started the process of designating Ju Ae as leader Kim’s successor.
By underscoring Ju Ae’s ability to handle and fire a weapon, the photos “suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
KCNA also said Saturday that Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong will head the party’s general affairs department — a role analysts describe as akin to a party secretary-general.
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country.
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