China Quake to Mean Some Trading Halts

An earthquake in China's Sichuan province, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, has killed thousands of residents, and aftershocks may continue to affect the region in the coming days, according to local reports and seismologists.

Reports on the number of dead varied, but recently estimates were between 7,600 and nearly 8,600.

While some offices in Shanghai were reportedly evacuated, traders said earlier that the quake didn't have any effect on the stock market in the city.

However, Bloomberg reported that trading will be suspended Tuesday in 45 companies, including Sichuan Changhong Electric and Chongqing Iron & Steel, that are located in Sichuan province and Chongqing. Also, the report said, China Mobile (CHL Quote) had damage to more than 2,000 of its base stations.

In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific (CPCAY Quote) canceled two flights from Hong Kong to London, and delayed another by 19 hours, according to local reports.

The giant quake, which struck Beichuan county, outside Chengdu, occurred at 2:28 p.m. local time and was felt as far away as Bangkok. Seismologists said that several mini-earthquakes have erupted in the area since the big tremor, and that there is a high risk of subsequent earthquakes in the area over the coming weeks.

"There will be aftershocks on the same fault system for weeks to months afterwards," said David Booth, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey Research Council. "There have been at least 20 aftershocks occurring at a magnitude of 6, which is a huge earthquake in its own right."

While Shanghai's A-share market was not affected as a result of the earthquake, previous ongoing natural disasters in China have sent inflation skyrocketing and brought industry grinding to a halt.