The Sun, another Hong Kong newspaper, accuses the State Seismological Bureau of failing to give advance warning of the earthquake.

BBC: China media: Quake response

Only 58 people have been rescued from demolished buildings across the quake area, China Seismological Bureau spokesman Zhang Hongwei told Xinhua.

NPR: Sichuan Quake Claims 12,000; Rescuers Scrambling

The quake measured by China's seismological bureau at magnitude-7 and the U.S. Geological Survey at 6.6 struck the steep hills of Lushan county shortly after 8 a.m. toppling buildings, many of them older brick structures.

WSJ: China's Sichuan Province Hit by Strong Earthquake