The death toll from Wednesday’s earthquake in western China’s Qinghai province has risen to 589, state media reported. Most casualties resulted from the collapse of houses and schools in Jiegu, Yushu prefecture, on the Tibetan plateau where the 7.1-magnitude quake struck. Deputy chief of Yushu’s education bureau said half of the school buildings in the prefecture collapsed while China National Radio quoted a Red Cross official as saying 70% of the area’s schools had been destroyed, while 90% of local housing had collapsed. Until heavy lifting equipment can reach the remote region, much of the rescue work is being done by hand.
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