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Over 8,700 people killed as quake rocks China

A major earthquake of 7.8 magnitude ripped through southwest China on Monday afternoon, killing more than 8,700 people and sending shock waves through cities across a large swathe of the country and southeast Asia. The epicentre of the quake was pinpointed at Wenchuan County, some 100 km northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and home to over 12 million people.