An earthquake of scale 7.8 hit Wenchuan prefecture (汶川县) in China’s Sichuan province (四川省) at 14:28 today. According to the news services in China, the tremors are felt as far as Shanghai, Tianjin, Beijing, Nan-ning, Hanoi, Taipei and even Bangkok.

The current situation is unknown. I have tried to call the Singapore Consulate in Chengdu to no avail. Meantime, my mother is in that region and uncontactable because she did not bring her mobile. I hope she is safe as she should now be further away from Chengdu (成都) and more towards the Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) region. I undertand that region is mountainous so I am quite concerned with the possibility of landslides.

Brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, please keep my mother, aunts and uncles who are in that area in prayer until they are safe. (I thank all of you, for sharing this burden with me.)

Will update when I get more information. A rough map of the epicenter here: