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China quake kills 25, damages more than 100,000 homes

By Ben Blanchard | Reuters

In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, residents gather around a bonfire as they evacuate following an earthquake in Yinlu Village, Datian Town, Renhe District of Panzhihua City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sunday, 31 August, 2008.AP/Chen Haining/China

The epicenter of Saturday’s quake, which struck around 4:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. EDT), was about 20 miles southeast of Panzhihua, near Sichuan’s border with Yunnan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was about 6 miles deep.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 5.7, while China’s official Xinhua news agency said it measured 6.1.

A 5.6-magnitude aftershock hit the same area 24 hours later, the USGS said on Sunday. There were no immediate reports of further damage from the second quake.

Xinhua said Saturday’s quake had injured 192 people, and three more were missing.

It added that 656 schools had also been damaged and that heavy rain and difficult terrain were hampering rescue efforts, with mobile telephone communications patchy.

State television showed pictures of houses with large cracks in their sides, broken tiles on the road and people receiving medical attention under tents.

Parts of Sichuan province were devastated by an earthquake that killed about 70,000 people in May. The province, known for its pandas and fiery cuisine, has struggled to rebuild after the disaster, which left 10 million people homeless.

Copyright © 2008 Thomson Reuters

Published in Reuters.com