At least 13 people were killed and 175 more injured late Tuesday after a powerful earthquake struck a popular tourist area in southwest China, according to state media. Of those hurt, about 28 had been severely injured, state-owned media outlet Xinhua said. The quake struck Jiuzhaigou County in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province late on Tuesday night. At least five of the people who died were tourists, Xinhua reported, citing the information office of the provincial
government. About 2,800 people were evacuated from the severely damaged Intercontinental hotel. Rescuers are still working to clear the rubble, and there are people buried beneath the debris, state broadcaster CCTV said. There was some disagreement over the size and power of the earthquake. The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude-6.5 quake 35 kilometers (22 miles) west-southwest of Yongle, Xinhua reported it was 7.0-magnitude, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center.  READ MORE
