Powerful earthquake hits Sichuan

Powerful earthquake hits Sichuan A powerful earthquake jolted China's Sichuan province on Saturday, killing at least two people in the same area where a devastating quake struck five years ago. Earthquake hit southwestern China on Saturday morning, killing dozens in a region still recovering from a devastating quake struck five years ago. The earthquake struck just after 8am on Saturday in Lushan county of Ya'an city in Sichuan province. China measured the quake as a 7 magnitude tremor, while the US Geological Survey said it was lower at 6.6. Fifty-six people are dead, while at least 600 suffered injuries, state media reported. The government has ordered "all-out rescue efforts", deploying 2000 soldiers. Nearly 70,000 people were killed in a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in 2008 in Sichuan that generated political controversy because thousands of students died when their shoddily constructed schools collapsed. The bureau initially measured the quake at magnitude-7, while the U.S. Geological Survey recorded it at 6.6-magnitude, powerful enough to cause severe damage. Its depth was shallow, less than 13 kilometers or 8 miles, which could magnify the impact. The Chinese government's seismological bureau & state-run television said the quake hit shortly after 8 a.m. in Lushan county in the city of Ya'an, home to China's famous pandas. The quake caused buildings to sway 140km away in the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu & was also felt by residents in neighbouring provinces. Most of the damage was centred on Lushan. Water & electricity in the largely rural county were cut off. The area lies near the same Longmenshan fault where the devastating 7.9-magnitude quake struck May 12, 2008, leaving more than 90,000 people dead or missing & presumed dead.
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