Beijing, Nov. 27 (BNA) The death toll has risen to at least 21 after an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale hit China's eastern province of Jiangxi and neighbouring areas on Saturday, state media said on Sunday.
Officials in Jiangxi's Jiujiang city, close to the epicentre of the earthquake, had reported 13 dead by Sunday morning, the semi- official China News Service said. The Ministry of Civil Affairs said 247 people were injured in Jiujiang, with another six dead and 130 injured in the nearby city of Ruichang. Hundreds of buildings were damaged in Jiangxi and several other provinces, forcing thousands of people to spend the night outdoors or in emergency tents on Saturday. The earthquake was followed by six aftershocks measuring 3.0 or higher on the Richter scale. At least two more people died and two were injured by the earthquake in the neighbouring province of Hubei, state media said.