3 earthquakes hit Shaanxi & Sichuan provinces

Three earthquakes, measuring 5.8, 5.6 and 4.8 on the Richter scale, hit parts of Shaanxi and Sichuan province on 24 July 2008. The quakes are being attributed to aftershocks from the major 8.0 Sichuan quake in May 2008 that killed nearly 70,000 people and left more than 18,000 unaccounted for. The initial quake struck at 0354 local time (1954 UTC), with a magnitude of 5.8. The second quake hit at 1330 local time with a magnitude of 4.8. The third quake hit at 1509 local time with a magnitude of 5.6. All the earthquakes hit approximately 105 mi/175 km northeast of Mianyang on the border region of Sichuan and Gansu provinces and each was centered at a depth of approximately 6 mi/10 km. One death and 17 injuries have been reported along with the collapse of more than 360 homes. A number of roads have also been reportedly damaged or destroyed in the recent quakes.