According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) a magnitude 7.8 earthquake has struck eastern Sichuan Province in China. The USGS recorded the quake at 6:28:00 UTC. Officials say that at least 8,500 may have been killed and local reports indicate over 10,000 injured.
At least 107 people, some of them school children, were killed when two schools collapsed. It is reported that 900 students remain trapped in the rubble. Two people were killed after a water tower fell over and so far, over 100 others have been injured in the quake. According to the USGS, damage is expected to be “very heavy” and that “some reports of damage have been received. Felt widely throughout China.”
The quake’s epicenter was located in the Aba prefecture, 90 kilometers (55 miles) west, northwest of Chengdu, Sichuan, China and was recorded at a depth of 10 k.m. (6.2 miles). At least 11,000 people reside in the area, and because of poor communications due to the quake, the total extent of the damage is not known.
Several counties have been hit the hardest, including Beichuan, in which 80% of the buildings have been reported to have collapsed. Deaths from this area have not been accurately accounted for yet. In another county, already 3,000-5,000 are reported to have died, with a further 10,000 injured.
The quake could be felt as far away as Bangkok Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Shanghai and Beijing. At least seven large aftershocks have been recorded, with the largest having a magnitude of 6.0.
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