Rescuers find bodies after China quake kills 19, injures 247

ABC ^ | Aug 9, 2017, 6:08 AM ET | louise watt,

[BenLurkin]

Most of the deaths and injuries were recorded in Zhangzha township, near to Jiuzhaigou or Jiuzhai Valley, a national park known for spectacular waterfalls and karst formations that attracts visitors from China and overseas.

Yang Jie, who owns a hostel in Zhangzha, said she was at a hotpot restaurant with friends when the lights went out and everything started shaking at around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday.

... "On our way home, there were rocks falling down from the hills on both sides of the road....."

...

On Wednesday, she said the building was still without power, stores were closed and "houses around us are damaged beyond recognition."

Among the injured, 40 were listed in serious condition, according to the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture government in Sichuan. At least five of the dead were tourists, China's official Xinhua News Agency said.

A Canadian woman suffered a slight head injury and a French citizen was wounded in both legs and needed surgery to remove stone fragments, according to Xinhua. It said Frenchman Maxence Vallon, 18, was staying with his mother and brother at a hotel in Jiuzhaigou.

They were seeking shelter outside "when a big stone fell and hit my brother right in the leg," said Romain Vallon, who studies in Beijing.

The dead included a performer in an arts group who was buried in the quake and found Wednesday morning. She and others had been performing in Jiuzhaigou when the quake struck. According to the Legal Evening News, they were acting out a scene about a 2008 earthquake that struck nearby and killed nearly 90,000 people. When Tuesday's quake hit, the performers ran off the stage in terror and the audience thought the tremor was part of the show.