Earthquake Strikes Qinghai Province in China April 14: 67 Dead

An Earthquake Has Struck the Qinghai Province in Northwest China Killing About 67

Sixty seven people are dead after an earthquake struck in the northwest province of Qinghai on Wednesday morning, April 14. The earthquake was measure at 6.9 and the epicenter was centered 380 kilometres southeast of the Golmund with a depth of 46 kilometres according to the United States Geological Survey. China's earthquake center measured the earthquake at 7.1.

This area is on the border with Tibet. One of the most affected towns is Yushu, which is located on the mountainous Tibetan plateau.

China's media is reporting four deaths and many collapsed buildings in the region.

According to reports from the region many people are buried under debris and the army has been dispatched to help with the situation.

The area has already experienced three aftershocks, with the strongest one measuring 5.8 according to the AFP, but this area is known to experience many earthquakes. A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck this region last year although no one died.

A huge 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck the neighboring region of Sichuan province in May 2008, which killed at least 87.000 people.

Communications in the area are down at this time, so information is scarce but rescue attempts are underway. This area is quite remote so news of what is happening is slow to filter through to the media, especially because the area is so high in the mountains.