126 foreigners among 50,000 tourists evacuated after SW China quake

CHENGDU -- More than 50,000 tourists, including 126 foreigners, were evacuated following a deadly earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan province Tuesday, local authorities announced Thursday morning.

The tourists have been taken to safer places including the cities of Mianyang and Chengdu. More than 9,000 local residents have been evacuated as well.

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou, a UNESCO nature reserve and popular tourist destination, at 9:19 pm Tuesday.

So far, 19 people have been confirmed dead and 343 injured, the information office of the provincial government said in the latest casualties update.

Rescue workers found 16 people trapped at a scenic spot called Panda Sea in Jiuzhaigou. Ten firefighters went to their aid Thursday morning and the result is not available yet.

Power supplies to the 17 towns in Jiuzhaigou County has been restored. Traffic on a major highway linking Jiuzhai-Huanglong Airport to the county resumed on Thursday.

Jiuzhaigou, or Jiuzhai Valley, is in the mountains on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is part of the Aba prefecture and is known for its ethnic minority communities, mountainous landscape, and stunning scenery.