No casualties after 2 quakes jolt China's Sichuan

BEIJING: No casualties have been reported as of Friday after two earthquakes rocked China's Sichuan province, according to the local emergency response department.

A 5.8-magnitude quake first struck the Maerkang city at 12.03 a.m. Friday, followed by a 6.0-magnitude temblor at 1.28 a.m., according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

Disaster relief operations are underway, Xinhua news agency quoted the department as saying.

The province has activated a level-III emergency response for the earthquake.

More than 750 people from the fire department have been dispatched to the epicentre.

Meanwhile, a level-IV national emergency response has also been activated.

Earlier this month, a 6.1 magnitude quake struck Sichuan's city of Ya'an, which claimed the lives of four persons, injured 42 others and affected a total 14,427 people.

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