China quake rescuers battle landslides, debris

The death toll in Saturday’s earthquake in China’s Sichuan province rose to 188 today even as the window to rescue remaining survivors rapidly narrowed.

The death toll in Saturday’s earthquake in China’s Sichuan province rose to 188 on Monday even as the window to rescue remaining survivors rapidly narrowed.

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More than two dozen people are still missing.

Authorities said more than 1.5 million have been affected by the 7 magnitude quake that shook parts of the southwestern province on Saturday morning.

Villages were flattened and buildings crumbled like card houses as the earthquake rumbled for nearly 20 seconds.

Rescue work was hampered by more than 2300 aftershocks. The shocks made it dangerous for rescue workers as already damaged houses became potential deathtraps.

A woman whose relatives were killed in Saturday's earthquake cries while sitting on a pile of rubble in Lingguan township in Baoxing county of southwest China's Sichuan province. AP