StrongearthquakehitsChina
Apowerfulearthquakemeasuring7.8hashitChina'ssouthernprovinceofSichuan,shakingbuildingsasfarawayasBeijing,ShanghaiandBangkok.
ItwasnotimmediatelycleariftherewereanycasualtiesordamagefromthetremorwhichthetheUSGeologicalSurvey(UGS)earlierputat7.8.
Theepicentreofthequakewas93kilometresnorthofChengdu.
Wenchuan,whichtookfullforceofthequake,hasapopulationof111,000people.
ItisinanethnicTibetanareainAbacountywhichrecentlysawviolentclashesbetweenTibetansandChineseauthorities.
Accordingtosomereportstherewasasecondearthquakemeasuring3.9whichhittheBeijingdistrictofTongzhouatroughlythesametime.
Telephonelinesintheaffectedareaarejammedandtherearestillnoreportsofcasualties.
ReportsfromThailandsayhighbuildingsinBangkokcontinuedtoshakeseveralminutesafterthetremorsbegan.
"Wefeltcontinuousshakingforabouttwoorthreeminutes.Allthepeopleinourofficearerushingdownstairs.We'restillfeelingslighttremblings,"saidanofficeworkerinChengdu.
China'stallestbuilding,theJinmaoTower,andotherhighrisebuildingsinShanghai'sfinancialdistrictwereevacuatedaftertremorswerefirstfelt.
"Peoplewereshouting'getout,getout',soweallranoutofourdorm,"saidastudentsurnamedZhangatauniversityinnearbyChongqing.
AspokesmanfortheChinaEarthquakeAdministrationsaiditwasstillcheckingtheepicentreandscaleofthetremor.