Rescuers with shovels and sniffer dogs are combing through collapsed hillsides as the death toll from a strong earthquake in north-west China rose to 89.

A strong earthquake that hit a hilly farming area in north-west China has killed at least 75 people and injured more than 400.

A teacher in north-western China has been sentenced to death for raping 18 primary school girls aged nine and 10, state media reported today.