Aftershocks Shake Southwest China After Quake, Five Injured Survivors Rescued, Buildings Crack Wide Open

Chengdu, China— Strong aftershocks shook southwest China on October 31, 2026, injuring more residents and forcing rescue teams to pull five survivors from rubble as weakened buildings gave way.

The aftershocks followed a larger quake earlier this week that hit the border of Sichuan and Yunnan. The China Earthquake Networks Center said the biggest aftershock today measured 6.1. It struck at 9:12 a.m. near the town of Qiaojia. Depth was shallow. Shaking was felt in Chengdu and Kunming.

In Qiaojia County, two homes that had cracked in the main quake collapsed completely. Five people were trapped inside. They had gone back to retrieve clothes and food. Neighbors heard screams and called for help. Rescuers arrived within 30 minutes.

The five were pulled out alive over the next four hours. All were injured. One had a crushed leg. Another had head wounds. They were carried out on stretchers made of doors. Doctors at the county hospital said they were stable. A nurse said one kept asking about his mother.

Provincial emergency command said more than 40 aftershocks had been recorded since midnight. Many were above magnitude 4. Each one sent people running into streets. In Zhaotong, a school that had been used as a shelter developed a large crack. Children were moved to tents outside.

Roads were blocked again. Landslides triggered by the shaking covered a section of the G85 highway. A convoy carrying tents was stuck for three hours. Workers cleared it with an excavator while aftershocks kept coming. They worked without helmets.

Beijing sent additional teams. The Ministry of Emergency Management said 2,000 rescuers were now in the area. It said 10,000 tents and 20,000 quilts were on the way. It warned that aftershocks could continue for days and told residents not to enter damaged buildings.

Local officials said many families were sleeping outside for the third night. Temperatures dropped to 6 degrees. Fires were lit in fields. A village head said people were tired. They wanted to go home but were afraid. Every aftershock felt like the main quake again.

By evening, no new fatalities from today’s aftershocks were confirmed, but damage assessments were incomplete. Rescue teams kept digging with hands and shovels where machines could not reach.