Two 5.6-magnitude earthquakes hit a mountainous area in south-west China on Friday, killing at least 81 people and injuring 717 more, according to initial reports from the area.
The quakes struck at 10.19am and 11.16am near the border between Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and affected more than 700,000 people, according to early official accounts from the Chinese government. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao flew to the stricken area on Friday night, suggesting the government expected casualty figures to rise significantly.
Unconfirmed online accounts said that at least two elementary schools had collapsed in the quake burying hundreds of students and that the bodies of three children had been recovered.