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Tibet earthquake death toll revised to at least 9

By Chris Buckley | Reuters

At least 30 people were killed in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake which was centered near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, according to Xinhua, which cited the local government, on 6 October 2008.Reuters/Tibet

A powerful earthquake killed at least nine people in China’s remote mountain region of Tibet on Monday, state media reported, revising down the earlier estimated death toll of at least 30.

The quake measured 6.6 on the Richter scale with its epicenter around 80 km (50 miles) west of the regional capital Lhasa. The victims were in Gedar township of Damxung County, near the epicenter, reported the official Xinhua news agency.

But late on Monday, Xinhua withdrew its earlier report that at least 30 were killed as “inaccurate due to unauthoritative sources.”

It now cited a local official overseeing rescue efforts as saying nine bodies had been found so far in the ruins of collapsed buildings, along with 11 seriously injured.

“Tremors were felt in Lhasa, but no serious damage was found in buildings or historical sites there,” said the report. “Key cultural relics also stayed intact.”

The Qinghai-Tibet railway and Lhasa airport maintained normal services.

The quake in the restless region next to Nepal and India came the day after a quake in neighboring Kyrgyzstan killed at least 72, and the same day as another strong quake in Afghanistan.

The earthquake also came just months after the massive Sichuan quake, which killed at least 80,000 and devastated whole towns on May 12.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Valerie Lee)

Copyright © 2008 Thomson Reuters

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