China quake toll increases to 65

Beijing: A total of 65 people have been killed in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted Luding county in China’s Sichuan province, local authorities said on Tuesday.

Thirty-seven people were killed in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the other 28 died in Shimian county of Ya’an city, reports Xinhua news agency citing the authorities as saying.

Meanwhile, 12 people remain unaccounted for and 170 others were wounded, including 56 seriously injured.

The earthquake struck Luding at 12.52 p.m. on Monday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

Sichuan has activated the highest level of emergency response for the earthquake.