China quake kills scores in rural Sichuan
A powerful
earthquake has killed at least 160 people and injured at least 5,700 in China's
rural south-west, officials say.
The 6.6-magnitude
tremor sent people fleeing from buildings across Sichuan province, which was
devastated by a massive quake five years ago.
Villages close to
the epicentre in Lushan county were left in ruins.
The rescue
operation is being hampered by collapsed roads, broken telephone lines and
regular aftershocks
Thousands of troops
have been sent to Sichuan, and Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in the area.
"The current
most urgent issue is grasping the first 24 hours since the quake's occurrence,
the golden time for saving lives," Mr Li was quoted as saying by Xinhua
state news agency.
Rescuers have been
able to pull some bodies and survivors from the rubble of devastated villages.
There have been at
least 710 aftershocks, further damaging buildings and leaving them dangerous.
Power and water
supplies have been knocked out in Lushan county.
The quake struck at
08:02 local time (00:02 GMT) on Saturday, with the China Earthquake
Administration categorising it as a 7.0 magnitude, and the US Geological Survey
(USGS) reporting it as 6.6.
Its epicentre was
115km (70 miles) west of provincial capital Chengdu, according to the USGS.
Five years ago a
massive quake hit Sichuan, killing tens of thousands.
The 2008 disaster
left some five million people homeless.
Many of the
collapsed buildings were schools and nurseries, leading to widespread criticism
of local government's planning policies.
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