China earthquake toll rises to 23

The death toll from an earthquake that scarred a scenic region of southwest China's Sichuan province rose to 23 on Friday as authorities found three more bodies.

The Aba prefecture emergency response office said in a statement that the bodies were found inside a bus in a river valley in Zhangzha. It did not give more details about what had happened to the vehicle.

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The statement said at least 493 were injured in Tuesday's 6.5-magnitude earthquake, which struck Jiuzhaigou, a popular tourist destination with a national park, forested mountains and over 140 lakes that has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.