Dozens dead, hundreds hurt as moderate quakes rattle remote part of China

Associated Press

Posted on September 7, 2012 at 9:00 AM

Updated today at 9:56 AM

BEIJING (AP) ? More than 60 deaths and hundreds of injuries are reported in China after a series of earthquakes collapsed houses and triggered landslides.

The quakes struck a rural, mountainous part of southwestern China. The Xinhua (shin-wah) News Agency says some roads are impassable, keeping rescuers from reaching remote villages and towns.

A provincial government website says almost 30,000 homes were damaged or destroyed across several counties and townships. Officials say more than 100,000 people have been evacuated.

U.S. and Chinese seismologists say the quakes started with a 5.6-magnitude shock, followed by a second quake of the same magnitude and more than 60 aftershocks. The quakes were of moderate strength but shallow, which often causes more damage.

Earthquakes occur frequently in the region, where buildings are often constructed poorly.

In 2008, nearly 90,000 people died when a magnitude-7.9 quake hit Sichuan province, just to the north of the area rattled by today's quakes.

%@AP Links

186-r-14-(Sound of injured residents, from footage provided by China's state broadcaster on behalf of the Beijing government)--Sound of residents rushing to the side of the road during earthquake aftershocks, which made rubble fall nearby. (7 Sep 2012)

<<CUT *186 (09/07/12)>> 00:14

163-c-16-(Christopher Bodeen, AP correspondent)-"at this point"-AP correspondent Christopher Bodeen reports a quake in rural southwestern China has caused loss of life and extensive damage. ((watch for dating)) (7 Sep 2012)

<<CUT *163 (09/07/12)>> 00:16 "at this point"

164-c-14-(Christopher Bodeen, AP correspondent)-"was much deeper"-AP correspondent Christopher Bodeen reports the quake might not have been of a great magniture but it has had a major impact. (7 Sep 2012)

<<CUT *164 (09/07/12)>> 00:14 "was much deeper"

APPHOTO XIN805: In this photo provided by China's Xinhua News Agency, damaged cars are seen in Luozehe town, Yiliang County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Friday, Sept. 7, 2012. A series of earthquakes collapsed houses and triggered landslides in a remote mountainous part of southwestern China on Friday, killing dozens of people with the toll expected to rise. Damage was preventing rescuers from reaching some outlying areas, and communications were disrupted. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zhou Hongpeng) NO SALES (7 Sep 2012)

<<APPHOTO XIN805 (09/07/12)>>

APPHOTO GFX587: Map shows the location of a series of earthquakes that hit rural southwestern China; (7 Sep 2012)

<<APPHOTO GFX587 (09/07/12)>>

Source: http://www.azfamily.com/news/world/168923756.html

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