There was no report that foreigners were killed or injured in southwest China's Sichuan earthquake, a Sichuan government official said on Tuesday morning.

A spokesman of the Sichuan Provincial Foreign Affairs Office told Xinhua at 7:15 a.m. that they had not received such report from various parts of the province, including the tourist attractions of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong.

However, China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, which is in the worst quake-hit area and home to some 130 pandas, was out of contact as all telecommunications services were cut. The casualties and damages there were unknown yet, the spokesman added.

The death toll from Monday's strong earthquake has climbed to 9,219, according to the latest figure given by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2008)