At least 65 dead in southwest China earthquake

The death toll from a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit southwest China's Sichuan province on Monday has risen to 65, Report informs, citing China Central Television.

In the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, rescuers found 37 bodies of the dead, 12 more people are missing. In the urban district of Ya'an, 28 people became victims of the natural disaster. A total of 248 residents of these areas were injured, of which about a quarter were seriously injured.

Earlier, 29 deaths were reported in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and 17 in the Ya'an City Prefecture.

By Monday evening, the provincial government had temporarily evacuated 50,000 people. The Chinese government has allocated 50 million yuan (about $7.25 million) to carry out rescue operations and eliminate the consequences of the natural disaster.