More than 150 Dead, 3,000 Injured in China Earthquake

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2013-04-21

The death toll from a powerful earthquake Saturday in southwest China's Sichuan province has climbed to more than 150 people, with more than 3,000 injured.

China's official Xinhua news agency says President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out measures to rescue victims and minimize casualties following the disaster.

Chinese officials called it a 7.0-magnitude quake, while the U.S. Geological Survey put the strength at 6.6. The quake occurred at a depth of 13 kilometers.

Aerial photos released by China's military and aired on state television showed individual houses in ruins and some stretches of the county seat and villages flattened into rubble.

After the quake, state media said hard-hit parts of Lushan county were unreachable by road, with phone services cut off. Xinhua said the quake also rattled buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, 115 kilometers to the east.

The incident brings back painful memories for Sichuan, which suffered a 2008 earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has flown to the region to oversee relief efforts.

Source: Voice of America

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