The death toll from the earthquake in southwest China has risen to 86. More than 270 people were injured, 62 of them seriously, state media reported on Thursday. 35 people were still missing three days after the earthquake. The tremors on Monday had reached a magnitude of 6.8.

In Sichuan Province, Luding County in the mainly Tibetan-populated Ganzi Prefecture and Shimian County near the city of Ya'an were particularly hard hit. The area is one to two hours' drive southwest of the provincial capital, Chengdu.

Large-scale search and rescue operation

A large-scale search and rescue operation involving thousands of helpers has been underway since the earthquake. The military was also mobilized. Thousands of houses were destroyed or damaged. Landslides also occurred, blocking roads.

The province is considered to be particularly prone to earthquakes. In 2008, Sichuan was hit by a massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 80,000 people.