Earthquake causes mountain collapse, road destruction inside Jiuzhaigou Valley

An earthquake caused mountain collapse and road destruction inside Jiuzhaigou Valley, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) report. (from Reuters video)

Jiuzhaigou County, China (CCTV) — The 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday caused mountain collapse and road destruction inside the scenic spot Jiuzhaigou Valley, in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) reporter who walked into the valley with firefighters on Wednesday afternoon.

The video shot by the CCTV reporter shows that rocks kept falling down from mountains. Long cracks appeared on roads; and some sections of roads even sank. Many trees toppled down.

Firefighters had to enter the valley on foot.

Fortunately, the main scenic attractions inside the Jiuzhaigou Valley were not severely affected, except the Five Flower Lake, which is famous for ancient fallen tree trunks lying submerged in the colorful water.

As the aftershocks kept jolting the Jiuzhaigou Valley, firefighters were unable to operate large machines to clear the debris.

Over 10 trapped tourists were found inside the valley on Wednesday afternoon, but firefighters could not reach them due to continuous mountain collapse.

The trapped tourists have adequate food and water supply and will be probably transferred away by helicopter, according to the rescuers.

The Jiuzhaigou Valley was listed by UNESCO as among World Heritage Sites in 1992 and World Biosphere Reserves in 1997.

Every summer, especially in July and August when students are on their summer vacations, the valley is crowded with tourists from all over the country.