China Earthquake Kills Up to 8,500 (UPDATE)

UPDATE: More than 8,500 people have died from a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Western China, and the death toll is expected to rise.

The earthquake's toll, in human life and damage to infrastructure, is still largely unknown.

The massive quake was felt as far away as Bangkok, Thailand, more than 2,000 miles from its epicenter in the Sichuan Province.

The massive and massively controversial Three Gorges Dam project was apparently not damaged by the quake, according to early government reports. Still unknown is whether the largest water diversion project the world has ever seen helped to trigger the earthquake. Tremors stemming from the project have been one of many long-standing environmental concerns.

USGS

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