China: at least 21 dead after an earthquake in the south-west

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit Sichuan, a mountainous province in the south-west of the country on Monday, killing at least 21 people according to a new official report, given by Chinese public television CCTV.

Homes have also been “seriously damaged”, roads are cut and “telecommunications cut off”.

Near the epicenter, the city of Ya’an has reported 14 deaths in its rural township of Shimian and neighboring Garze prefecture has counted seven so far, according to CCTV.

A video broadcast by the official New China news agency showed chandeliers swinging from the ceiling, sections of concrete buildings fallen to the ground or rocks blocking a road after landslides.