Chinese rescuers search for survivors at one of the two primary schools that toppled killing many schoolchildren yesterday after an earthquake measuring 7.8 rocked Sichuan province. Photo: AFP A massive earthquake rocked southwest China yesterday killing thousands of people and flattening schools and homes in a powerful tremor that was felt across a swathe of southeast Asia. A total of 8,533 people have died in China's Sichuan province after a powerful earthquake struck there on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government.