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November 22, 2008 3:50:55 AM CST

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7.8 Earthquake Rocks China

Posted May 12, 08 3:05 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – A major 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked central China today, with shaking felt a thousand miles away in Beijing, and in Thailand and Vietnam. Exact damage or injuries were not known, but the quake hit about 60 miles from Chengdu, a city of 10 million in China's Sichuan province, reports CNN. "This is a very dangerous earthquake," said a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey. Five people are reported dead, with 100 injured.

President Hu Jintao called for "all-out" efforts to rescue victims, and both troops and the Chinese premier Wen Jibao were en route to direct recovery efforts from the area. "There do not seem to be major damages. Some building are cracked, but nothing major, from what we can see," a BBC correspondent reported. "The quake was really strong, continuous. Two aftershocks could be felt. Many people on the street."

Sources: CNN, Reuters, BBC

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This image from TV shows a street scene in Beijing shortly after 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck western China.   (AP Photo)
Map locates epicenter of 7.5 earthquake which hit western China.   (AP Photo)
In this image from TV showing an entrance to the Twin Towers building in Beijing, made shortly after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck western China today.   (AP Photo)
Residents gather on a street in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou province, after an earthquake jolted the region on Monday May 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yang Ying)
Chinese students evacuated to a playground for safety in Qionglai city, southwest China's Sichuan province, Monday May 12, 2008, after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck mountainous central China.   (AP Photo)
People snap photos after an earthquake evacuation from buildings in downtown Beijing, Monday, May 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)
Chinese people gather by the road after an earthquake evacuation from buildings in downtown Beijing on Monday, May 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)
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