A total of 69,789 residents in Myanmar's western Rakhine state have been evacuated as of Wednesday to avoid possible threat from Cyclone Mahasen, official media said Thursday.

China Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake which killed more than 80,000 but some said questions remained over the thousands of children who died as their schools collapsed.

A strong earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hit southern Iran early on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, with local media reporting of damaged villages and several injuries.

A strong earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hit southern Iran early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Three people are feared dead after one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes spewed a giant ash cloud on Tuesday, with foreign tourists on its slopes during the eruption, authorities said.

China's southwestern Sichuan province stopped Saturday to mourn the victims of a deadly earthquake that struck exactly a week ago, state media reported.

Tens of thousands of homeless survivors of China's devastating quake are living in makeshift tents or on the streets, facing shortages of food and supplies as well as an uncertain future.

Clogged roads, debris and landslides impeded rescuers Monday as they battled to find survivors of a powerful earthquake in mountainous southwest China that has left at least 188 dead.

More than 100 people were killed and 3,000 injured when a strong earthquake shook southwest China Saturday, wrecking homes and triggering landslides in an area devastated by a major tremor in 2008.

The area of southwestern China struck by a violent tremor on Saturday has witnessed some of the world's deadliest earthquakes.