Powerful quake shakes southwest China; damage not yet known

BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake shook a swath of southwestern China on Monday afternoon. It isn’t immediately clear if it caused damage or injuries. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Luding county in Sichuan province at a shallow depth, which can potentially cause major damage. Sichuan is regularly hit by earthquakes, mainly in mountainous, lightly populated areas. One resident in provincial capital Chengdu says she hid under a desk in her 31stt floor apartment. China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude in 2008 that killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan. The epicenter of Monday’s quake is in a mountainous area about 125 miles southwest of Chengdu.