Dikhyaa Mohanty 
People affected by an earthquake on June 1 that rattled the city of Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan province, have begun to return to their normal lives after comprehensive rescue efforts. Four people have been confirmed dead and 41 others injured after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Lushan County in Ya’an at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
As per the reports, the earthquake was followed by a 4.5-magnitude quake at 5:03 p.m. in Baoxing County, also in Ya’an. As of 9 a.m. Thursday, 34 casualties have been reported in Baoxing County and 11 injuries in Lushan County. Those injured have been sent to hospital for treatment. One is in critical condition, two who were seriously injured are now in stable conditions, and the 38 who suffered minor injuries are in no immediate danger.
A total of 13,081 people in the city have been affected by the earthquake, the relief headquarters said. Three county highways, a section of a national highway, and telecommunication in some parts of the affected areas were cut off. A total of 135 houses were severely damaged.
Gong Bing, Deputy Mayor of Ya’an, said that more than 12,700 residents have been relocated to 61 sites that were urgently set up in the counties of Lushan and Baoxing on Wednesday evening.
More than 4,600 people from emergency rescue teams, the armed police, the fire department, the medical sector and other areas have been dispatched to the earthquake-struck areas to search for and rescue people who have been injured, and to repair roads and relocate affected residents.
“The improvement of the quality of buildings after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Lushan in 2013 was the most important reason why there was not a large number of casualties caused by collapsed buildings this time,” said Wang Tun, Director of the Institute of Care-Life, an organisation that studies earthquakes in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, and local emergency management authorities.
“Timely earthquake monitoring and early warnings, strict anti-seismic design standards, sufficient drills and publicity, and rapid emergency rescue mechanisms were also reasons why no heavy casualties were reported after the recent powerful earthquakes in Sichuan,” Wang said.
