☰

Global

At least 39,500 killed in Sichuan quake: official


    BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday the death toll from last week's devastating earthquake had risen to 39,500 people in Sichuan province.

    The figure, provided by the vice governor of Sichuanprovince, did not include surrounding provinces which were alsoaffected by the 7.9 magnitude tremor on May 12.

    Previously, officials had said just over 34,000 werekilled. Authorities say they expect the overall toll to exceed50,000.

    (Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

    (For more stories on China's quake, follow the link toReuters AlertNet http://www.alertnet.org. For full coverage ofthe quake in China, click onwww.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/china))