Hundreds dead in Chinese earthquake

An earthquake in western China has killed around 600 people and injured another 10,000, Chinese state television says.

The quake on the Tibetan plateau in Qinghai province early on Wednesday measured a magnitude of 6.9 and was followed by a series of aftershocks.

Rescue efforts were hindered by telecommunications problems, with phone lines down.

The China Earthquake Administration announced an initial death toll of 67 people in a brief statement on its website, saying the quake had caused many houses to collapse.

swissinfo.ch and agencies