A rescuer searches for earthquake victims in Chongqing, China, on May 12, 2008.

Nearly 9,000 people have died in the worst earthquake to hit China in three decades.

Eight percent of buildings in Beichan county were decimated, the country's Xinhua news service reported, and many fear the death toll will continue to rise.

The earthquake occurred in an area with multiple fault lines that have produced disastrous temblors before, the Associated Press reported.

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