Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake
CHENGDU, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Two fresh
aftershocks struck earthquake-hit areas in China Tuesday afternoon, as the
nationwide death toll from a massive quake two weeks ago has risen to 67,183.
A 5.4-magnitude aftershock hit Qingchuan County in
Sichuan Province at about 4:03 p.m. and another 5.7-magnitude aftershock hit the
neighboring Ningqiang County in Shaanxi Province, according to the China
National Seismological Network.
The two aftershocks were also felt in the Sichuan
provincial capital Chengdu, Shaanxi provincial capital Xi'an, and parts of
neighboring Chongqing Municipality and Gansu Province.
No casualties have been reported so far.
"Many citizens rushed to streets from their homes," a
resident surnamed Feng in Xi'an said.
Qingchuan was also the epicenter of a 6.4-magnitude
aftershock on Sunday afternoon, which was the strongest aftershock since May 12
when an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan's Wenchuan County. At least
eight people have been confirmed dead and hundreds of others injured in the
aftershock.
As of Tuesday noon, the death toll from the May 12
quake had increased by more than 2,100 to 67,183, another 361,822 people were
injured and 20,790 were missing, according to the Information Office of the
State Council.
More than 45.61 million people were affected in the
devastating quake, and about 15 million have been evacuated.
In terms of the intensity and scope of destruction,
the May 12 quake is believed to have surpassed the 7.8-magnitude quake in 1976
in Tangshan, northern Hebei Province, which claimed more than240,000 lives. ¡¡