BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed in a county near the epicenter of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southwest China on Monday, local government said.

    Meanwhile, 160 people were injured, 36 severely, in Wenchuan County, Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, Sichuan Province, the prefectural government said in a statement posted on its official website.