
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit southwestern China along the borders of Guizhou and Yunnan provinces just before 11:30 a.m. on Friday, September 7, 2012.
At least 89 people were killed and more than 820 people were injured.
It was followed by an equally strong aftershock shortly after noon and a lot more of aftershocks after that.
The earthquakes were relatively shallow, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, so it caused greater damage to the area.
A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Costa Rica on Wednesday but it caused less damage because the quake was deep, at 41 kilometers (25 miles) below the surface.
It damaged and destroyed thousands and thousands of houses and buildings and caused lots of landslides that blocked the roads to the area.
The damage is great because most of the buildings were poorly constructed and since the earthquakes hit a mountainous area, it triggered landslides.
More than 100,000 residents were evacuated from the area.
This is a disaster!
Blocked mountain roads slowed the rescue efforts and officials worried that the death toll could rise further.






