In Chengdu, China an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude has hit the Sichuan Province, says local emergency services. The quake occurred in Chengdu, China today at 2:28pm or UTC 06:28:00.
A teacher in Chengdu, China is posting regular updates to a Twitter account called lyrrael.
At least 5,000 are feared dead and another 10,000 injured. Officials estimate that 80% of buildings were destroyed in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County. Beichuan is the capital of Chengdu.
So why is Chinese State television saying "everything is fine?" Perhaps China is afraid that revealing cracks in its emergency relief system will hurt attendance at the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
The US Geological Society website corroborates the 7.8 measurement on its website.
The map of China at right shows the location of the Sichuan Province.