Death toll nears 9,000 after Chinese earthquake

TENS of thousands of people were feared dead last night in a huge earthquake that shattered central China.

The official death toll from the region was put at about 8,700, but with reports coming in of collapsed hospitals, schools, factories and office blocks that number was expected to climb much higher.

Shockwaves from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake centred in the Sichuan province were felt as far away as Vietnam and Thailand.