China quake toll rises to 760

BEIJING - The toll in the 7.1-magnitude quake in China’s Qinghai province has risen to 760, officials said Friday.

At least 243 people were still missing and 11,477 were injured, 1,174 severely, a spokesman with the rescue headquarters in Yushu prefecture in Qinghai was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Meanwhile, a total of 4,200 injured people have been discharged from hospital, he said.

At least 7,093 rescuers were carrying out search and rescue operation in Gyegu town, the seat of the Yushu prefecture government, officials said.

The quake struck Yushu prefecture at 7.49 a.m. Wednesday at a depth of about 33 km, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said.

It toppled 15,000 residential buildings and forced 100,000 residents to relocate, authorities said, adding that many people were still buried under the debris of collapsed houses.

More than 85 percent of houses, mostly made of mud and wood, in Gyegu town collapsed in the earthquake.