China Earthquake Today takes at least 400 lives

Beijing (GaeaTimes.com) At least 400 people have been killed and more than 10,000 people are injured from a strong earthquake in western China. According to the Chinese state Television, CCTV, the death toll is on the rise as the rescuers are finding more dead bodies from the rubble of collapsed mud and wood houses. Rescue workers are working hard to find the trapped people out of the rubble. Many people have gathered in the open to search for their relatives and loved ones.

The China earthquake massively hit the Qinghai province in western China and the magnitude measured 6.9 on Richter scale. The USGS recorded six after shocks in less than three hours. One of them registered 5.0 or higher.

The official news agency Xinhua reported that the quake also triggered landslides. The residents came out of the house as the ground began to shake. Houses made of mud and wood were toppled and temples, gas stations and electric poles were also no exception. It is reported that a number of school buildings collapsed and allegedly some students were killed and some others are trapped in rubble. Lack of excavation equipments is hindering rescue operations, officials said.

China Earthquake Administration reported that workers are also releasing water from a reservoir in which a crack has formed after the earthquake. The water was stored to prevent flood. There are also some concerns for the shelter less people as some of the damaged area has night temperature below the freezing point

No more information is available about the earthquake as the communication lines are down in the area.