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The worst earthquake in China for over 30 years kills nearly 9,000 in one province alone and injures thousands more. A powerful earthquake has shaken southwest China, killing nearly 9,000 people in populous Sichuan province, and injuring thousands more, state media said, as hundreds of children remained trapped in at least eight collapsed schools. Thousands were killed in Beichuan county of mountainous Sichuan province after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the region during the early afternoon on Monday (May 12), Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government. The death toll was expected to rise further as authorities and rescue teams made contact with the worst-hit areas of Sichuan, where phone lines have been cut off since the quake struck. Thousands of army troops and paramilitary People's Armed Police carrying medical supplies were headed to the region, state television said. On Monday evening state media showed 180 special rescue workers from China International Search and Rescue (CISAR) flying out from Beijing to worst effected areas. The troops were transported aboard two planes loaded with emergency medical equipment and sniffer dogs to search for those trapped under collapsed buildings. "The most difficult part is performing emergency aid on the spot. Within a short time we have to calm down those who have been most severely hurt and then escort them to hospital," one rescue worker explained. The quake is the worst to hit China in 32 years since the 19...