Foto: CNN(CNN) -- A rapid series of strong earthquakes hit a mountainous and impoverished area of China's Qinghai province early Wednesday, killing 589 people, state-run media said, quoting local quake relief headquarters.
At least 10,000 others were injured, the Xinhua news agency reported, and many victims, including school children, were buried under debris. Rescuers were struggling to clear debris with their hands and save those trapped below.
Nearly 60 of the dead were students at several schools in the province, authorities told Xinhua, and more than 50 are trapped in the debris with little chance of rescue.
Xinhua reported that 25 students were rescued from a vocational school, and another 23 from a primary school.
A 6.9-magnitude earthquake, as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at 7:49 a.m. local time (7:49 p.m. ET Tuesday), when many citizens were still at home and schools were beginning the day. The USGS also recorded several strong aftershocks -- one of magnitude 5.8 -- all within hours of the initial quake. Full Story (Click here).
Source: CNN
