BEIJING (AFP) — Twenty-two people were killed and more than a hundred were injured after an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck southwest China on Saturday, state media reported.
The tremor struck Panzhihua City in Sichuan province at 4.30pm (0830 GMT), according to Xinhua news agency.
It said 17 people had died and about 100 injured in Sichuan, while five were killed and 26 hurt in neighbouring Yunnan province.
In Sichuan a man aged 54 was found dead in rubble in Miyi County, while in Zhongchang Township of Lihui County, another was confirmed to have died when a house collapsed in.
Xinhua said that more than 1,000 houses had been destroyed by the tremor, while about 400 had cracks. It added that teams from the China Earthquake Administration as well as the Sichuan and Yunnan provincial earthquake bureaus were heading to the stricken region.
However, rescue operations have been hampered by the rugged conditions in the area as well as heavy rains, said the news agency. Detailed casualty figures were also unavailable due to poor communication, it said.
The US Geological Survey measured the quake at 5.7.
The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 4.30 p.m. (0830 GMT), was around 30 kilometres (18 miles) southeast of Panzhihua, 161 kilometres northwest of Kunming, Yunnan's provincial capital, the USGS said.
Five others died in Chuxiong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, said Mengfu, a prefecture government official, according to Xinhua.
The were no reports of casualties in Panzhihua city.
The Yunnan Seismological Bureau said the quake and its aftershocks were also felt in Yongren county, Yunnan.
Xinhua quoted Zheng Zhouwei, a local legislator in Yongren, as saying: "Locals in the county rushed out into the open. Cracks appeared on house walls and many windows were broken."
It was also felt in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, according to Xinhua, which added that many residents stayed outside after the quake.
A massive 8.0 magnitude quake hit Sichuan province on May 12, leaving nearly 70,000 dead, with about 18,000 people still missing.
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