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Sichuan quake leaves 32 dead, 400 injured

Tibet Sun Bureau Report | Tibet Sun

A resident walks past a collapsed house after an earthquake hit Lixi town in Huili County, Sichuan province, 31 August 2008. Reuters/China

The 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which has affected 500,000 people, hit about 30 km southeast of Panzhihua city, near the Sichuan-Yunnan border city of Panzhihua, around 4:30 pm on Saturday, according to the China state media.

The government have sent rescue and relief teams with tents, quilts, food and water to the affected areas, but the damaged communication systems and the rain are making it difficult to operate.

An aftershock of 5.6-magnitude was recorded on Sunday, but no further damages were reported.

Communications systems were severely damaged. Seven reservoirs, 22 highways and three bridges in the region were damaged, as well as several major roads, rail links and power lines.

The tremors were felt as far north as Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, and also in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan to the south.

Both the provinces previously suffered a devastating earthquake on 12 May that killed around 70,000 people, left around 18,000 missing, more than 370,000 injured, and about five million people homeless.

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