A powerful earthquake is reported to have killed at least 7,000 people in China's south-western Sichuan province, up to 5,000 of them in just one county.

Many more are feared killed and injured in other parts of the country after the quake, which had a magnitude of 7.8, struck at 1428 local time (0628 GMT).
At least 50 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a school where an estimated 900 students were buried.

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | 'Thousands dead' in Chinese quake

The Chinese authorities have launched a major rescue operation in Sichuan province, after it was struck by the most powerful earthquake to hit the south-west of the country in 30 years.

In the nearby city of Dujiangyan, which was closer to the epicentre, desperate efforts are under way to find survivors underneath the rubble of a three-storey school building which collapsed, burying an estimated 900 students.

Much more information and video: BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | 'Buried teenagers crying for help'

Pictures of the devastation: BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: China earthquake

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