Viral video shows exact moment earthquake hit China's Sichuan

A 30-second video clip from a dashcam, which shows precisely the moment a powerful earthquake hit southwestern China on Monday, is now going viral on social media.

The clip from Moxi town in the southwestern province of Sichuan shows trees and buildings and lamp posts beginning to sway as the 6.8 magnitude quake struck.

A few seconds later the facade of small building comes crumbling down, and people can be seen running towards the car, apparently in a bid to stay away from the bigger buildings.


The video shows the sheer force of one of the most powerful quakes to hit the mountainous province in recent years. The death toll crossed 65 on Tuesday afternoon, and hundreds were injured.

The tremblor struck after midday on Monday, and was felt by residents in the provinces of Shaanxi and Guizhou, hundreds of kilometres away. Buildings shook in Chengdu, 200 kilometersfrom the epicente.

Agencies quoted state TV as reporting that 243 houses had collapsed and 13,010 had been damaged. The quake cut power to several towns, while some highways collapsed .