A powerful earthquake struck the Sichuan province of China on Saturday, killing nearly 200 people and injured thousands in the same region where a 2008 quake took nearly 90,000 lives.

The magnitude-6.6 earthquake toppled buildings, triggered landslides and disrupted phone and power connections when it struck just after 8 a.m. local time Saturday in the mountainous Lushan county. The area is located just 53 miles from the 2008 disaster and is also on the seismically active Longmenshan fault line.

The China Earthquake Administration said at least 179 people had died, including 96 in Lushan. In the jurisdiction of Ya'an, which administers Lushan, 19 people were reported missing and more than 6,700 people were injured, the administration said.

 (source: olekubuzz.blogspot.com)