China Earthquake Kills Or Injures Thousands In Sichuan Province

A grim picture is unfolding in south central China after a shallow 6.6 magnitude earthquake has reportedly killed or injured thousands.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake at a depth of 12.3 km, (7.6 miles) located about 80 km (50 miles) west of the town of Linqiong, in Sichuan province, Saturday, April 20 at 8:02 a.m. local time.

Xinhua, China's official news agency, is reporting the quake as magnitude 7.0. 

Two thousand rescue workers have reportedly been dispatched to the area.

Saturday's quake is relatively close to the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that stuck in 2008, killing 68,000.

The BBC, quoting an official Chinese agency, reports that hundreds are injured or killed.

Earthquake-report.com corroborates the story, reporting at least 32 dead and more than 1,000 injured. The death toll is expected to rise as the aftermath unfolds. The epicenter is reportedly blocked by debris and landslides.

The quake was reportedly felt in heavily populated cities like Xi'an, Chengdu and Chonqing.

This earthquake follows a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on the Iran-Pakistan border that killed 41 and and a 7.2 earthquake Friday morning in the Kuril islands area of the shore of east Russia, which took no casualties.