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GALLERY: Death toll rises to five after 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 five on Sunday, as media reported the injured have all been successfully rescued.

The quake struck 39 kilometres northwest of Kangding in the mountainous west of Sichuan province at 0855 GMT Saturday.

The latest toll was reported Sunday by state news agency Xinhua, which also adjusted the number of injured from 60 to 54. Three were said to be in 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.

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.

In Japan, a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake in central Japan left 39 people injured, seven seriously, and wrecked homes in a popular ski resort, the government said Sunday.

The quake struck at 10.08 pm local time (1308 GMT) Saturday at a depth of 10 kilometres at the epicentre, in the north of Nagano Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, according to the US Geological Survey.


Photos: AFP, Reuters, Twitter

The government confirmed Sunday that the quake destroyed houses and snapped water pipes, with the worst damage in mountainous areas.

Sources: AFP, Reuters, Twitter

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