The Sparkling Lake, one of the most popular scenic spots in the Jiuzhaigou National Park, was found dried up after the M 7.0 earthquake hit 3.5 km away from the valley on Wednesday, August 9, 2017. [Photo:scol.com]

While mourning the dead and tending to the injured continues after this week’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Sichuan province, authorities are saying that the area’s scenic wonders and the local economy also are victims of the natural disaster, centered in scenic Jiuzhaigou.

Twenty-four people died as a result of the Tuesday night earthquake and 493 people were injured, including about 45 seriously wounded, provincial government officials said on Friday.

Two days later, the famous Nuorilang Waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou collapsed.

Nuorilang, with a height of 24.5 meters and width of 270 meters, was China’s widest waterfall and also was chosen by netizens as one of China’s most spectacular. Jiuzhaigou Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Li Lin, a guide in the Jiuzhaigou area, said he realized how bad the quake was when he heard that a young couple from Wuhan, Hubei province, were crushed by falling stones.

“The Wenchuan earthquake (also in Sichuan, in 2008) did not wreak havoc here. But this time, many people will remember the tragedy of the couple and cringe at the thought of visiting Jiuzhaigou,” said Li, a middle-aged guide who has worked in Jiuzhaigou for 12 years.

As the couple from Wuhan were approaching a hotel in the area, falling rocks smashed their car. The wife died instantly and the husband managed to push their daughter, a sixth-grader, out of a window before he died, local media reported.

On Wednesday, the management committee of Jiuzhaigou announced it would temporarily close the scenic spot. By Friday, all 61,500 tourists in Jiuzhaigou had left for home, officials said.

“The earthquake is a heavy blow to Sichuan tourism since tourists won’t come to Jiuzhaigou this year,” said an official from the Sichuan Provincial Tourism Development Commission who asked not to be named.

It will take time for tourism to rebound, as in the case of the Wenchuan earthquake, which killed over 80,000, he said. “After the Wenchuan earthquake, fewer tourists visited Sichuan in the latter half of 2008. But as people forgot the quake the next year, the number of tourists gradually rose.”

During the seven-day National Day holiday running from Oct 1 to 7 last year, Jiuzhaigou was so packed with tourists each day that its administrative committee had to limit the number entering the scenic spot.

In 2016, Sichuan’s tourism earnings surpassed 770 billion yuan ($115.5 billion), more than 800 million yuan of which came from Jiuzhaigou, according to the Sichuan tourism commission.

A woman has been held by police on suspicion of abandoning her child by using a courier service to send the newborn to a local children’s home, according to police in Fuzhou, Fujian province.

The woman, identified by police only as Luo, is said to have packed up her newborn baby girl in plastic bags, put it in a cloth bag, and called a delivery service on Wednesday, saying she wanted to send something to the Fuzhou children’s home.

When the courier requested to see what was inside the parcel, she refused to open the package for inspection.

On his way, the courier heard a crying sound from the bag, which he had hung from his handlebars, and opened it to find a baby with her umbilical cord still attached.

The courier called police for help, and passers-by who saw him standing with a baby offered assistance. Pictures posted online showed the baby girl being held in a woman’s arms, with her lips moistened by a cotton swab to protect her from sunstroke in the 37 C heat.

The baby was soon sent to the Jin’an district hospital, where she had her cord cut and went through health checkups. Doctors said the baby is out of danger and her vital signs remain stable. She has been transferred to the pediatrics department.

Local residents have sent diapers and baby formula to the hospital.

Police said the 24-year-old woman is from Sichuan province, and the baby’s father is unknown.

Luo was quoted by fjdaily.com, the news portal by Fujian Daily, saying that she did so because she thought she couldn’t raise the child on her own and that it could get better care at a welfare house.

She has lost contact with the baby’s father and her family knew nothing about it, she said.

The story made headlines nationwide, with many netizens criticizing the young woman for putting the baby through such an ordeal, arguing that the baby could have died on such a hot day while being wrapped in several layers of plastic.

Wu Ming’an, an associate professor of criminal law at China University of Political Science and Law, said that the woman is alleged to have violated the criminal law.

“She is suspected of infringing on the baby’s personal rights, because the baby’s life was threatened after being wrapped up,” Wu said.

Photo taken on Aug. 11, 2017 shows tents at a temporary shelter in Zhangzha Village of Zhangzha Town in Jiuzhaigou County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Aug. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Xue Yubin)

The death toll from a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China’s Sichuan Province Tuesday night has risen to 24, with five still missing, by 9 p.m. Friday.

A total of 493 were injured, including 45 in serious condition, the quake rescue headquarters said in the latest casualties update.

More than 61,500 tourists and migrant workers, including 126 foreigners, were evacuated following the quake, which struck Jiuzhaigou County at 9:19 p.m. Tuesday at a depth of 20 kilometers.

In addition, 23,477 local residents have been evacuated to safety.

Jiuzhaigou is a popular tourist destination in the mountains on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is part of the Aba prefecture and is known for its ethnic minority communities, mountainous landscape, and stunning scenery.