1 dead after 6.3-magnitude quake hits SW China

A woman was killed after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 18 kilometers, struck Kangding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province, at 4:55 p.m. Saturday.

The woman in her 70s died at the scene after being hit in the head by falling debris, said Chen Yunbing, a doctor with Ganzi People's Hospital.

The epicenter was monitored at 30.3 degrees north, 101.7 degrees east, near the Kangding airport, some 40 km from the county seat.

Minor cracks appeared in some airport buildings , but flights were not affected, said Tan Heng, a clerk at the airport.

Telecommunications and electricity supplies were unaffected.

Citizens in Chengdu, the provincial capital, said they felt the quake strongly.

"The house window was shaking fiercely. Some people rushed out of the building," said a woman in Chengdu.

Guo, a Kangding resident, told Xinhua the tremor was powerful and many articles fell to the floor in his home.

The quake also affected Zhaodong City in neighboring Yunnan Province.