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BEIJING, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The first of thousands of people listed as missing after a devastating earthquake in western China in May has been declared legally dead, state media said Tuesday, quoting a local official.
The man's wife was one of many relatives of victims awaiting a decision after requesting a death declaration in the weeks following the May 12 quake, the English-language China Daily said, paving the way for compensation and inheritance claims.
The 7.9 magnitude quake, which hit Sichuan and surrounding provinces, killed more than 69,000 people and left another 18,000 unaccounted for, according to the official death toll.
The man is believed to be Sichuan's first missing person to be declared dead, the report quoted a Dujiangyuan official as saying.
His wife had asked a municipal court for the declaration in July, it added.
Waves of civil cases regarding insurance, mortgages, bankruptcy and land rights are rising in the quake-hit areas, the report cited Sichuan's higher court as saying.
The national Supreme Court called in June for local courts to promptly handle death declarations and inheritance issues, the report said.
Millions of quake victims in Sichuan's mountains still live in temporary housing that will give little protection against an expected harsh winter.
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