| 16 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago China quake death toll rises past 8,500
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(NECN/ABC) - On the heels of the Myanmar cyclone, another natural disaster has struck Asia. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake has struck deep in Central China, the nation's worst in 30 years. The dead is already being counted in the thousands and the toll is almost certain to rise.
The earthquake struck at the busiest time of the day in the south western part of China.
There are reports that some of the buildings shook for as long as two minutes.
Fleeing high-rise office buildings, thousands of people poured into the streets -- scrambling for safety.
In Sichuan province, at least 5 primary schools collapsed. State media reports that some of the students are still trapped in the rubble.
Near the epicenter in the city of Chengdu, the injured streamed out, visibly shaken and looking for help.and more people were stretchered out onto the streets -- the field opposite the hospital turned into a makeshift hospital ward.
The quake was so powerful it was felt thousands of miles away in the capital Beijing. And then came the after shocks, tremors that could be felt as far away as Hanoi in Vietnam.
Communication in the area is slow as thousands of people jammed network lines. It's not clear yet how many people have been killed or injured.
As China's premier travels to the area, troops have already been deployed to help with disaster relief efforts. Officials fear that things on the ground could get much worse.
ABC's Lama Hasan
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