Expert: Sichuan earthquakes show energy release, watch for other risks

Two magnitude-5.0 earthquakes struck Yibin City in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday, followed by a magnitude-4.8 earthquake on Thursday. Earlier this week, parts of Dali Prefecture in Yunnan Province also experienced three earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or above within an hour. Wang Tun, director of the Institute of Care-Life and director of the Natural Disaster Early Warning Research Center at Sichuan University, said such clusters of earthquakes of similar magnitudes could be a normal process through which underground energy is released. He also cautioned that the focus should shift from earthquakes and their direct impacts alone to mitigating the risks posed by multiple natural hazards.