'thousands dead' in chinese quake

from time: Between 3,000 and 5,000 people have been killed by an earthquake measuring 7.8 in one county of Sichuan province in south-western China, reports say. Some 10,000 people are also feared to have been injured in Beichuan county.

update1: toll mounts in china earthquake
from time: As many as 8,500 people have been killed by an earthquake measuring 7.8 in one county of Sichuan province in southwestern China, reports say. Some 10,000 people are also feared to have been injured in Beichuan county.

update2: china bloggers cook up quake conspiracies
from london times: As the death toll in China's Sichuan province climbs, the nation’s bloggers have joined together in the search for a scapegoat. Broadband connections across the country are pulsing with rumours of "earthquake omens" involving toads or butterflies - all allegedly ignored by the authorities. Some even talk of a vast pre-Olympic conspiracy.