At least 19 people are now confirmed dead and around 250 others have been hurt following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in China’s south-western Sichuan province. br br Several tourists are reported to be among those killed. br br The quake hit a sparsely populated area some 200 km northwest of the city of Guangyuan late on Tuesday at a depth of 10 km. br br A few hours later a separate tremor measuring a magnitude of 6.6 hit China’s remote northwestern region of Xinjang. br br Sichuan is frequently struck by quakes. In 2008, around 80,000 people died after a massive tremor struck the province.