Wednesday, August 6, 2008

An earthquake with a magnitude 6.0 that struck the area of Southern Qinghai, China on Tuesday, has killed at least three people and injured nearly 40 others.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at 9:49 hours UTC (5:49 a.m. at the epicenter). The China Earthquake Networks Centre considers it an aftershock from the May 12 Sichuan earthquake.

A bridge on a national highway was reported to be damaged, and communications were reported to have been severed. At least 3,200 homes were severely damaged or destroyed.

The quake struck 45 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Guangyuan, Sichuan, near the town of Yaodu. It struck in the same area of China as the one on May 12 that killed at least 69,207 people and wounded another 374,468, according to the English language edition of the People’s Online Daily.

Data released by the USGS shows that the epicenter was near the G109 highway which connects Lhasa in the south and Xining and Lanzhou in the northwest, a distance of 2,020 km (1,255 mi), according to Google Maps China.

Just over 12,000 aftershocks and small quakes have been recorded in the same area since May 12th.