Final death toll at 2,698

Several news outlets are reporting the final official death toll to be right at 2,698.  Provided below is an excerpt from People Daily:

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7006506.html

China puts final death toll from Qinghai quake at 2,698

The final death toll from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that jolted Yushu of northwest China’s Qinghai Province on April 14 was 2,698, with 270 people missing, vice governor Zhang Guangrong said Monday.

Among the victims, 2,687 had been identified and the identities of 11 bodies remained unknown, Zhang told a press conference.

The vice governor said the killed include 199 students and a Hong Kong resident.

Source:Xinhua