CHINA: Worst-ever earthquake in northwest kills 242

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is from the Qatar News Agency (QNA)

BEIJING, Feb 24 2003 (IPS) - At least 242 people, including schoolchildren, were killed and over 1,000 others injured when a devastating earthquake struck the quake-prone Xinjiang region in northwest China Monday.

More than 1,000 houses and school buildings have collapsed in a village in Bachu county, the epicenter of the earthquake that measured 6.8 On the Richter scale, the local government said.

The earthquake is the most serious since 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was founded, Xinhua news agency said.

Some officials from the China seismological bureau and local seismological bureau have flown to the area, it said.

Several other places in the desert province, including Jiashi county, Kashi city, Bachu county, Artux county and Markit county also felt strong tremors.

The earthquake occurred at 10:30 a.m. (0200 GMT) and the epicenter was 39.5 degrees north latitude and 77.2 degrees east longitude, according to the China seismological bureau.