China Struck with Powerful Earthquake of 6.6 Magnitude

Nearly 72 people were killed after a powerful earthquake jolted China's western region of Sichuan Province Saturday at 8 a.m. local time. Several people were trapped under debris and hundreds were left injured after this devastating quake, reports NY Times.

Reports according to the United States Geological Survey claim that the quake was measured at 6.6 magnitude, whereas China's seismological bureau says the quake was of magnitude 7.

The quake occurred in the same area where five years ago, another devastating quake had killed more than 90,000 people and nearly 18,000 people went  missing. This year's earthquake occurred in the city of Ya'an that is in Lushan county.

The Xinhua News Agency claims that the earthquake rattled buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu that is 115 km or 70 miles to the east. This called for a temporary closure of the Chengdu airport, reports CBS News.

The locals of Lushan county immediately posted pictures of buildings collapsing on various social media networking sites.

Reports according to The Associated Press state that the houses in Longmen village collapsed, and throughout the county, nearly 10,000 houses were damaged.

The Chinese government television China Central Television reported that several local police along with the People's Liberation Army and rescue teams have been dispatched to all the affected areas.

Luchan is home to China's giant pandas, which were not affected by the quake, unlike the 2008 quake where dozens of giant pandas were shifted from Bifengxia to Wolong after their habitat was destroyed, reports The Associated Press.