Death toll rises to 193 after quake rocks southwest China

USPA News - The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck southwestern China last week has risen to at least 193, the government said on Tuesday, adding that more than two dozen others remain missing. Some 12,000 people have been treated for injuries.

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake at 8:02 a.m. local time (0247 GMT) on Saturday was centered in Lushan County of Sichuan province in southwest China. It struck about 13 kilometers (8 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to China`s Earthquake Network Center (CEIC). In a statement on Tuesday, the country`s Civil Affairs ministry said the death toll from the devastating earthquake has risen to at least 193, including 173 in Ya`an, 8 in Chengdu, 5 in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 2 in Ngawa, 1 in Meishan, 1 in Deyang and another in Leshan. In addition to those killed, some 12,211 people have been treated for a wide range of injuries, including more than 1,535 people who were hospitalized. At least 25 people are still believed to be missing from the earthquake, which has affected an estimated 1.99 million people in Sichuan province. Buildings in China are extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking, and even light earthquakes frequently cause serious damage and casualties. A 5.5-magnitude earthquake in southwestern Yunnan province in March destroyed 520 homes and injured 30 others, following a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in southwest China in September 2012 that killed 80 and injured nearly 1,000 others. Other recent earthquakes in China include a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck northwest China in April 2010, killing nearly 3,000 people and injuring more than 12,000 others. An 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province in May 2008 resulted in the deaths of more than 69,000 people while 18,000 others remained missing.