Shale Gas Mining in China’s Sichuan Province Sparks Protests Following Earthquakes and Deaths

Around 10,000 people took to the streets of Rong County, Sichuan province, to protest fracking which they say led to earthquakes that killed at least four people on Feb. 24 and 25, 2019. (

A decade after the devastating Wenchuan earthquake struck the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, locals in Rong County are protesting “earthquakes” that they believe are manmade.

The quakes have caused at least four deaths and many injuries in the county, according to locals. Residents of Rong County blame the extraction of shale gas in the area for triggering the disasters.