Beijing, June 18 (IANS) As many as 13 people were killed and 199 others injured in a 6-magnitude earthquake that hit China’s Sichuan Province, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Tuesday. The earthquake hit the Changning county at 10.55 p.m. on Monday.

As of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 20 people trapped in the debris were rescued and 731 evacuated, according to the ministry, Xinhua news agency reported.

Safety inspection and rescue efforts are underway, with fire-fighters rushing to the quake-hit regions to conduct rescue and search operations.

The China Earthquake Administration has deployed 80 people in the quake-hit regions for real-time monitoring and damage assessment.

Meanwhile, the ministry and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.

The earthquake had affected 142,832 people and destroyed 73 houses, the ministry said. </s> A powerful earthquake hit China's southwestern Sichuan province on late Tuesday (8 August) leaving at least 13 people dead and injuring nearly 200 others. Several people are also reported missing.

The magnitude seven earthquake's epicentre was near Jiuzhaigou National Park, a popular tourist destination in the country. The China Earthquake Administration has warned of aftershocks that can reach magnitude six.

The earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou county at 9.19pm local time on Tuesday (2.19pm BST), striking at a depth of 20km, Xinhua news agency quoted the China Earthquake Networks Center as saying. The news agency reported that at least five of those dead in the earthquake were tourists to the national park.

The government of Aba prefecture, where the park is located, reportedly said there were nearly 38,799 visitors at the park at the time of the quake. Of these, more than 31,000 tourists were moved to safe places. The park has temporarily been closed for tourists.

Hong Kong's immigration department has confirmed that three of their nationals are missing following the quake, the South China Morning Post wrote.

Rescue and relief work is underway in the sparsely populated area, which witnessed nearly two dozen deaths over the weekend due to landslides triggered by heavy rainfall.

The China Earthquake Administration said that nearly 107 aftershocks were detected as of 10.30pm Tuesday and more could be felt in the coming days.

Sichuan is an earthquake-prone region and an 8.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the region in May 2008 had killed more than 80,000 people. In 2013, another 7.0-magnitude quake hit Lushan, killing 196. </s> BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China has allocated an emergency funding of 50 million yuan (about 7.2 million U.S. dollars) for earthquake relief in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the country's top economic planner announced Tuesday.

The funds, within central budget plan, will be used for rebuilding infrastructure and public service facilities in the quake-affected areas, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Thirteen people died and 199 were injured so far, after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Changning County of Yibin, Sichuan Province at 10:55 p.m. Monday (Beijing Time).

China's disaster relief authorities have launched a level-3 emergency response in the area, sending multiple workgroups to assist with local disaster relief work. </s> A strong earthquake has rattled the Changning county of Yibin in southwest China's Sichuan province, leaving 12 dead and injuring 125 others, according to China's Ministry of Emergency Management.

On Monday evening, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), the earthquake's epicentre with a depth of 16 km was monitored at 28.34 degrees north latitude and 104.90 degrees east longitude.

The US Geological Survey has stated that there were two earthquakes, with a quake of magnitude 5.9 which was followed by a smaller one of 5.2 magnitudes, both at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) and centred near Changning county.

Chinese authorities have stated that people in nearby cities, such as Chengdu and Chongqing, also felt strong shocks. The Ministry of Emergency Management has activated an emergency response and sent a work team to the stricken areas to provide guidance in rescue and disaster relief, reported China Daily.

The National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have also reportedly dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.

It is reported that several aftershocks have followed. Local houses and roads, as well as power and communication facilities, suffered damages.

China's railway website has notified that due to the earthquake, some railway journeys in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, have been cancelled.

The Chinese authorities have reported that the country is struck by an average of 20 earthquakes measuring 5 on the Richter scale every year. In 2008, an earthquake measuring 8.0 magnitude in Sichuan killed 87,587 people. Since 2000, more than 91,800 people have been killed by earthquakes in the country reported state media. </s> Firefighters rescued two people trapped under rubble after an earthquake struck Yibin in Sichuan, southwestern China, on June 17. The earthquake killed 13 people and injured about 200 injures, according to the Yibin City Emergency Management Bureau, cited by the state broadcaster. The magnitude-6.0 earthquake was followed by 77 aftershocks of magnitude 2.0 or above, the Sichuan Earthquake Administration said. Credit: China Fire Department via Storyful </s> BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night and some people were injured, officials and news reports said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 5.9 and hit about 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Changning in Sichuan. It was centered at a fairly shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), it said. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage to buildings and infrastructure.

The USGS warned there could casualties and significant damage.

The Beijing Youth Daily said some people had been injured, but that could not be immediately confirmed. The emergency management ministry said firefighters have been sent to the area as rescuers.

A 1976 earthquake centered in the northeastern city of Tangshan killed at least 250,000 people. China’s worst earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan province in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people. That earthquake was about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Monday’s quake. </s> A strong earthquake that hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night killed 11 people and injured 122, the local government said.

The Yibin city government posted the casualty toll on its social media accounts Tuesday morning. Xinhua news agency said rescue efforts were underway in the stricken area.

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The magnitude 6.0 earthquake collapsed a hotel in Changning county and damaged some roads, Xinhua said. Heavy rains were falling Tuesday morning.

The Ministry of Emergency Management sent firefighting crews and other rescue personnel, Xinhua said. The ministry and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.

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The epicenter was 16 kilometres below the surface, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage to buildings and infrastructure.

China’s worst earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan province in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people. That earthquake was about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Monday’s quake.

A 1976 earthquake centred in the northeastern city of Tangshan killed at least 250,000 people. </s> JIUZHAIGOU, China, Aug 9 (Reuters) - A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck a remote, mountainous part of China's southwestern province of Sichuan, killing 13 people, including six tourists, and injuring 175, the provincial government and official media said on Wednesday.

The quake hit a sparsely populated area 200 km (120 miles) northwest of the city of Guangyuan late on Tuesday at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was also close to the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve, a tourist destination.

Sichuan is frequently struck by tremors. A huge quake there in May 2008 killed almost 70,000 people.

A separate quake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck a remote part of China's far northwestern region of Xinjiang, more than 2,000 km (1,240 miles) away, on Wednesday morning, the Chinese earthquake administration said. The People's Daily said 32 people had been injured in the mostly rural area.

The Sichuan government said rescuers were gradually evacuating tourists and residents who had been cut off by landslides.

Six tourists were among those killed, according to the official China News Service.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said 13 people had been killed, citing the provincial government, and that as many as 31,500 tourists had been evacuated from the quake zone, leading to traffic jams on the narrow roads.

A few dozen tourists were camped out at Jiuzhaigou airport, waiting for flights. The airport was open but many of the flights are delayed.

A traveller with a young daughter who gave his family name as Li said he was in his hotel when the earthquake hit.

"The walls and floor shook. Some things fell off the table," he said.

Some people were injured in the hotel but most were fine.

"The rescue services showed up quickly and gave us water and things to eat," Li said.

He was given priority to be evacuated as he was with a small child. "At first the road was blocked but they had cleared a lane this morning for ambulances."

The Sichuan government said earlier fears that part of a hotel had collapsed were overblown, with only relatively minor damage and everyone evacuated safely.

The Sichuan earthquake administration, which also measured the quake at a magnitude of 7.0, said the epicentre of the tremor was in Ngawa prefecture, which is largely populated by ethnic Tibetans, many of whom are nomadic herders.

The area was rattled by a number of aftershocks on Wednesday.

Pictures on state-run social media sites showed some damage in Jiuzhaigou, with tiles having fallen from buildings and people gathering outdoors.

State television said electricity had now largely been restored to the affected areas and the military was also sending rescuers to help with relief efforts.

The Sichuan government said on one of its official social media sites that more than 38,000 tourists were currently visiting Jiuzhaigou.

Shaking was felt in the provincial capital, Chengdu, and as far away as Xian, home of the famous terracotta warrior figures, according to the government.

The Xinjiang quake's epicentre was in Jinghe county, about 100 km (60 miles) from the border with Kazakhstan, where about 140,000 people live, according to Xinhua.

Residents several hundred kilometres away in Urumqi, and the cities of Karamay and Yining, felt strong tremors, Xinhua said. The jolt lasted about 20 seconds, it said. (Additional reporting by David Stanway in Shanghai and Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Richard Pullin, Paul Tait and Michael Perry) </s> An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Tuesday evening, the United State’s Geological Survey said. The China Earthquake Network Center, however, recorded quake of magnitude 7.0. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The temblor first struck in a sparsely populated area about 200 km from Guangyuan city. The epicentre was at a depth of 10 km in the Ngawa prefecture, the local administration said.

Earthquakes are common in the mountainous Sichuan province. In 2008, nearly 70,000 people were killed in a massive quake.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hits Sichuan, China, killing 13 people and injuring 199 others.