At least 19 dead, 247 injured in magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Sichuan

中스촨성 강진에 19명 사망•247명 부상 At least nineteen people have been killed and nearly 250 others injured after a powerful earthquake struck southwestern China. And as rescue efforts continute, the death toll is expected to rise. Our Won Jung-hwan has the latest. A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck a remote area of southwest China's Sichuan Province Tuesday night at around 9pm local time,... leaving 19 people dead and 247 injured. There have been landslides in the region, and the deathtoll is expected to rise. Several of the dead had been visitors to Jiuzhaigou National Park, a popular tourist destination in Sichuan Province. 38,000 tourists visited Jiuzhaigou , known for its spectacular waterfalls, on Tuesday. To avoid potential further deaths and injuries, the park immediately stopped accepting tourists. China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction estimate that the earthquake could have damaged more than 130,000 homes. They said over 21-thousand residents live within 20 kilometers of where the earthquake struck, and over 63-thousand people live within 50 kilometers, but there are also many tourists in the area so the authorities are having difficulty establishing the exact number of people affected by the earthquake. It was confirmed that two Koreans were injured in the earthquake. According to the Consulate General of Korea in Chengdu, the two Korean tourists have suffered minor injuries on their legs and wrists during the evacuation process. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for all-out efforts to rapidly organize relief work and rescue any injured people, and the local government has dispatched rescue and medical teams to the disaster-hit area to guide relief work. Sichuan is known as a quake-prone region as it is located on a plate boundary. In May 2008, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan, killing more than 85,000 people. Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS):   / newsarirang   Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook:   / arirangtv   Twitter:   / arirangworld   Instagram:   / arirangworld