Death toll rises to 24 due to earthquake in China

Beijing, Aug 11 (IANS)  Officials said with five persons still missing and the death toll in the 7-magnitude earthquake in China's Sichuan province rose to 24 on Friday.

A total of 493 people were injured in the Tuesday night earthquake and 45 of them were in a serious condition, the quake rescue headquarters was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency.

More than 61,500 tourists and migrant workers, including 126 foreigners, were evacuated following the quake, which struck Jiuzhaigou county at a depth of 20 km.

In addition, 23,477 local residents were evacuated to safety.

Jiuzhaigou is a popular tourist destination on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is part of the Aba prefecture and is known for its ethnic minority communities, mountainous landscape and stunning scenery.