One killed in 6.3 quake in China

At least one woman was killed today when a 6.3-magnitude strong earthquake jolted a mountainous area of China's southwest Sichuan Province.

The woman, in her 70s, was killed after she was hit in the head by falling debris, said Chen Yunbing, a doctor at a local hospital.

The China Earthquake Networks Center said the earthquake hit at a depth of 18 kilometres in Kangding County of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

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

However, telecommunications and electricity supplies remained unaffected. People in Chengdu, the provincial capital, said they felt the quake strongly.