CHENGDU, June 2 -- An earthquake of 6.1-magnitude at the depth of 17km hit Lushan, a county under the administration of Ya’an City in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, at 17:00 on June 1. Three minutes later, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake at the depth of 18km was observed in Baoxing, another county under the administration of Ya’an, at 17:03.
Immediately after the earthquake, the joint operations commanding center under the PLA Western Theater Command activated the Level-3 emergency response plan promptly. The Ya’an Military Sub-command under the Sichuan Provincial Military Command organized about 190 troops and militiamen to carry out the first-round relief work in the epicenter area.
Over two-hundred service members assigned to the detachments of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (PAP) Sichuan Corps arrived at the site with special emergency relief instruments and equipment. They inspected the situation and carried out danger removal and rescue operations.
As of 9:00 pm of June 1st, the earthquakes had cut off roads in Lushan County, and killed four, injured 14, and destroyed some houses in Baoxing County.