Magnitude 6 earthquake hits China’s Xinjiang, wounding dozens
Two policemen watch as people place candlelights into a river to mourn the deceased of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing, China on June 7, 2008. More than 69,000 people are now known to have died in the quake. The Duanwu Festival takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the Chinese calendar.
A northwestern Chinese province was hit by a magnitude-6 strength earthquake early today that Xinhua news agency said has left at least 34 people wounded.
The tremor also triggered a landslide that has trapped 120 people on a highway in the remote Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said Xinhua, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The US Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 6.3, a few points lower than the CENC's 6.6 measuring, according to The Associated Press.
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The earthquake left over 100 homes in ruins, damaged thousands more, and cut off electricity in parts of the mountainous region, said Xinhua.
Rescuers are currently searching the remote area for further casualties, said AP.
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