The death toll from Monday's 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southwest China's Sichuan Province has risen to 88, the local authorities said on Friday.

As of 12:00 p.m. Thursday, a total of 86 people have been killed in a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that jolted Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Monday, said local authorities.

Fifty people were killed in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the other 36 died in Ya'an City.

The death toll from Monday's earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province now stands at 82. The epicenter of the magnitude-6.8 tremor was Luding county in Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture. Search and rescue continues with over 10,000 personnel in place, including soldiers, engineers and first-aid workers. China's State Council has dispatched a work group to assist efforts, saying the top priority is to save lives. Local authorities are also providing psychological counseling service to those affected.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, on Thursday expressed thanks to various businesses and enterprises from Taiwan for their donations to the earthquake-hit Sichuan.

Zhu said that people from all walks of life in Taiwan have also offered condolences and sympathy after the strong quake. "We are grateful for this," Zhu said.

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake that struck Luding County in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday has killed at least 82 people so far. 

The death toll from Monday's 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southwest China's Sichuan Province has risen to 82, the local authorities reported on Thursday. 

The death toll from a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that struck southwest China's Sichuan Province has risen to 74 as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday, citing two local emergency departments from Sichuan.

Forty victims were found in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan and 34 others in Ya'an City.

Minor aftershocks are still rattling the areas after the first strong shake hit on Monday. 

According to Xinhua, at least 26 people are still missing and at least 259 people are injured.  

A press briefing is expected later today to update the public on the latest development. 

Rescuers are trying their best to save people after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake jolted Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

But rainfall is expected in the region on Wednesday, making the rescue work even harder.

At least 66 people have died from the disaster, 15 are missing, and 253 are injured. Meanwhile, five people are in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon.

A working group sent by the State Council arrived early on Tuesday to lead the rescue effort.

More than 300 base stations and 134 kilometers of optic fibers were damaged, and more than 16,000 people lost communication signals.

As of Tuesday evening, 77 base stations were fixed and electricity has been restored for nearly 22,000 families.

At least 92 people trapped in debris have been transported to safety by firefighters. They checked almost 3,000 households and are still working to find more people.

In addition to firefighters under military command, ground force soldiers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) joined the rescue.

"Many local people cried when they saw us coming," Wei Xiaohu, one of the military rescuers, told China Media Group (CMG). "All the roads to the epicenter were cut, so we have to take assault boats and then rope climb for three hours to get to them."

"Then we used ropes – and our backs – to transport trapped people one by one to the boats," Wei added.

The mountainous terrain makes it impossible to fly helicopters, so rescuers had to carry the aid to the area manually.

More than 6,650 people, including soldiers, engineers and first-aid workers participated in the rescue.

Drones also played an important role in the rescue, providing mobile phone signals to people at the epicenter after the earthquake destroyed signal towers.

The drones also took videos of the scene to help rescuers plan their work.

The injured were transported to a temporary residence center to get basic treatment.

Sixty-five injured people were residing in the People's Hospital of the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Tuesday. They are said to be in stable condition.

Another eight people with more severe injuries were transported to bigger hospitals in Chengdu City, the provincial capital.

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake jolted Luding County, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, at 12:52 PM local ( 2:52 AM EST) on Monday.
A total of 66 people were killed, over 250 injured, 15 missing. 

Sichuan has activated the highest level of emergency response for the earthquake and China has raised its earthquake emergency response to Level II.

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As of 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 66 people have been killed in a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that jolted Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Monday, said local authorities.

Thirty-eight people were killed in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the other 28 died in Shimian County of Ya'an City.

Rescue efforts are underway as a result of the reopening of the road from Shimian county center to Xinmin Town in southwest China's Sichuan Province. 

A total of 37 people are confirmed dead, 12 are missing and 170 have been hospitalized following Monday's earthquake in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Over 200 people are still trapped at the quake-stricken Hailuogou Scenic Spot, a glacier and forest nature reserve.

Work is underway to clear the only road connecting the area with Moxi Town in Luding County, according to CMG reporters from the scene.

A total of 28 people are confirmed dead and 78 have been hospitalized following Monday's earthquake in Shimian County, Ya'an City, in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A total of 46 people died, over 50 got injured and 16 went missing after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake jolted Luding County in southwest China's Sichuan Province on September 5. Among the deceased, 29 are from Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and 17 from Ya'an City. The earthquake relief headquarters in Ganzi activated its highest level of emergency response. More than 50,000 people in Ganzi and Ya'an have been temporarily relocated.

At least 66 people were killed in a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that jolted Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Thirty-eight people were killed in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the other 28 died in Shimian County of Ya'an City.

As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, 12 people were missing and 170 were found injured in Ganzi, including 56 seriously injured. A total of 78 people were injured in Shimian County as of 5:50 a.m. Tuesday.

The earthquake struck Luding County at 12:52 p.m. Monday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Sichuan has activated the highest level of emergency response for the earthquake.

The Red Cross Society of China initiated a Level-III emergency response following the earthquake, with the first batch of relief materials consisting of 320 tents, 2,200 relief packages, 1,200 quilts and 300 folding beds dispatched to the affected area.

Local authorities are making all-out efforts to rescue the injured, speed up the opening of rescue channels and the repair of infrastructure in affected areas, prevent secondary disasters, and minimize casualties and losses.

As of noon Tuesday, the Department of Natural Resources of Sichuan Province has allocated 448 people, 111 vehicles and drones, as well as 146 sets of other equipment to participate in a secondary geological disaster emergency investigation, which has checked 501 hidden danger points and 15 new hidden danger points, CCTV News reported.  

At present, 11,252 people under threat have been evacuated, and no casualties have been reported due to secondary geological disasters in and around the quake-hit area, according to CCTV News. 

Mountainous Sichuan is prone to earthquakes. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake left more than 80,000 people dead or missing.

(With input from Xinhua)

More than 30 people were killed after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday, local officials said.

The Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has activated the highest level of emergency response due to the earthquake.

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake at a depth of 16 kilometers jolted Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on September 5. Several land and air rescue teams rushed to the quake epicenter. Many roads near the epicenter are currently blocked due to landslides, and some of the affected people are gathered in open areas waiting for rescue. Rescue work is still underway.

Fourteen people were killed after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday, local officials said. 

Seven people were killed after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province, local officials said Monday.

At least two people were slightly wounded during landslides after a strong earthquake hit Luding in China's Sichuan Province, China Newsweek reported citing the medical source.

According to the report, some people are trapped under collapsed houses but no further details were given.  

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake jolted Luding County in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 12:52 p.m. on Monday. Several aftershocks have been recorded in nearby areas. So far, there have been no reports of casualties, and local firefighters are assembling at quake-hit sites.

Several "green passages" have been opened on Sichuan highway to help rescue workers traveling to Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province after a strong earthquake struck.

Telecommunications are currently cut off in the epicenter, Moxi Town in Luding, and officers from several departments are clearing roads blocked by quake-triggered landslides.

The Chinese government activated its Level-III emergency response for earthquakes after a magnitude-6.8 quake hit in Luding County in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday.

The Fire and Rescue Department of Sichuan Province has dispatched 30 people to the earthquake's epicenter, and another 530 rescue personnel have been dispatched to the epicenter from seven other regions.

The Sichuan Earthquake Administration activated its Level-II emergency response after a magnitude-6.8 quake hit in Luding County in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Monday at a depth of 16 kilometers.