Rescuers find bodies after China quake kills 19, injures 247
BEIJING — Stranded tourists and residents struggled Wednesday to clear roads and cope with power cuts caused by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 19 people and injured 247.
The magnitude 6.5 quake struck a mountainous region near a national park that is one of the country’s top tourist attractions. Rescuers dug through rubble with their hands and used detectors to search for signs of life. The Tuesday night quake knocked out power and phone networks, complicating efforts to locate and evacuate survivors.
Most of the deaths and injuries were recorded in Zhangzha township, near to Jiuzhaigou or Jiuzhai Valley, a national park known for spectacular waterfalls and karst formations that attracts visitors from China and overseas.
Yang Jie, who owns a hostel in Zhangzha, said she was at a hotpot restaurant with friends when the lights went out and everything started shaking at around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday.