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Four dead in China earthquake

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The death toll from a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck a remote part of China’s southwest rose to four, as media reported the injured have all been successfully rescued.

Reports previously said two people died when the quake struck 39 kilometres (24 miles) northwest of Kangding in the mountainous west of Sichuan province at 4:55 pm local time (0855 GMT) Saturday.

Xinhua state news agency reported the new death toll today and adjusted the number of injured from 60 to 54, with six being in a critical condition.

“Within nine hours, emergency services were able to successfully rescue all those injured,” Xinhua said, without giving details on the current state of the rescue operation.

Just under 80,000 people were affected by the quake, the news agency said, adding that 25,000 houses were damaged and 6,200 people relocated.

 

This cellphone photograph taken on Nov 22 shows a collapsed brick wall from a hostel in Kangding,

southwest China's Sichuan province, after an earthquake hit the region​. Photo: AFP

Xinhua said the epicentre was at the town of Tagong, where a police rescue team arrived two hours after the tremor struck.

“Six military aircraft, 60 medical staff and nearly 1,000 soldiers and militia remain on standby,” the report added.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a depth of 14 kilometres.

Southwest China lies where the Eurasian and Indian plates meet and is prone to seismic activity. - AFP

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