Over 8,500 killed as quake rocks China
Chinese rescuers search for survivors at one of the two primary schools that toppled killing many schoolchildren yesterday after an earthquake measuring 7.8 rocked Sichuan province. Photo: AFP A massive earthquake rocked southwest China yesterday killing thousands of people and flattening schools and homes in a powerful tremor that was felt across a swathe of southeast Asia. A total of 8,533 people have died in China's Sichuan province after a powerful earthquake struck there on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government.