Death toll from China earthquake rises to 149, two people still missing

A vehicle is smashed after a brick house collapsed during an earthquake in Dahejia town in northwestern China’s Gansu province (Ng Han Guan/AP)

The death toll from China’s most powerful earthquake in years has risen to 149, with two people still missing after the tremor hit north-western parts of the country last week.

The 6.2-magnitude quake struck a remote mountainous area between Gansu and Qinghai provinces on December 18, reducing homes to rubble and triggering heavy mudslides that inundated two villages in Qinghai province.