WORLD
Search operation continues as death toll rises to 12 in SW China earthquake
Baku, June 18, AZERTAC
Twelve people died and another 135 were injured after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday night, the provincial bureau of emergency management said Tuesday, according to Xinhua.
The earthquake hit Changning County of Yibin at 10:55 p.m. Monday (Beijing Time), according to local authorities.
The epicenter, with a depth of 16 km, was monitored at 28.34 degrees north latitude and 104.90 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
Rescuers said nine people died in Changning and three in neighboring Gongxian County. Most of the deaths were caused by damaged houses.
The first round of search and rescue operations have been completed in the two counties, and no new casualties were found, according to Sichuan bureau of emergency management.
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, the quake toppled down 73 houses and severely damaged 19 others. Nearly 4,500 people were evacuated in quake-hit areas. Direct economic loss totaled 10.82 million yuan (about 1.59 million U.S. dollars).