Hundreds killed in China earthquake
14/04/2010
Hundreds of people have been killed following a series of earthquakes in China.
Around 10,000 more individuals have been injured as a result of the natural disasters which struck the mountainous region of the Tibetan Plateau in the south-western region of the country.
The quakes measured 6.9 in magnitude at their strongest and began just after 08:00 local time - when many children would have been preparing to go to school.
A series of aftershocks followed the initial blast, destroying around 85 per cent of houses in the area.
An official at the scene of the tragedy said: "The injured are everywhere in the street, a lot of people are bleeding from head wounds."
The country's government has said it is to dispatch rescue workers to help bring aid and relief to the affected regions.
Thousands of people were killed in the country when an earthquake hit the area of Sichuan in 2008, the Economist reports.
Written by Simon Bassett
