Hundreds dead in China quake

An earthquake measuring about 7 on the Richter Scale has killed hundreds and injured thousands in China's Qinghai province. The quake hit a remote region 380 km south east of the city of Golmud and was followed by three tremors of magnitudes up to 5.8.

Reuters

The region, which is called the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, is mountainous and has a population of about 98,000.

Some 400 people have died and 8,000 have been injured. The US Geological Survey says the quake, which struck at 7.49 am local time (23.49 GMT). measured 6.9. Chinese authorities say it was 7.1 magnitude. It hit at a depth of 10 km.

Initial reports say more than 85 per cent of the buildings near the epicentre have collapsed. Part of a vocational school collapsed, burying a lot of students.

"We badly need medical supplies as there's only one hospital here," a local official told RFI. "We urgently need other rescue equipment. For the moment the danger is increasing with every tremor. Houses have crumbled and a school has collapsed because of the aftershocks."

Some 1,000 soldiers have arrived to help dig people out of the rubble.

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02:40

Reporter Anne Meijdam in Beijing

Christine Pizziol-Grière

"In a flash, the houses went down," Karsum Nyima, the Yushu county's television station's deputy head of news told Chinese television. "Everybody is out on the streets, trying to find their family members."

He added that the top of a Buddhist tower fell off.

The Chinese government has allocated 21 million euros for the relief effort.

France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said his country was prepared to help China recover and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Wednesday he was ready to send aid.

"I pray for the earliest possible reconstruction of the disaster-hit area and I am prepared to provide every possible assistance for that purpose," he said in a message to the Chinese president, Hu Jintao.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the Pope have offered their condolences.