The death toll from a strong earthquake that struck southwest China has risen to 74, state media reported Wednesday, reports BSS.
The magnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43 kilometres southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometres on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey.
The state-run People's Daily said that 34 people died in Sichuan's Ya'an city, while 40 deaths were reported in neighbouring Ganzi prefecture.
More than 21,000 people have been evacuated from areas prone to landslides or building collapse, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Rescuers are still scouring remote villages in the country's mountainous southwest in a race to find survivors of the earthquake, with dozens of people believed stranded or missing.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
