A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southwestern China yesterday, killing at least 150 people in a remote mountainous area of Yunnan Province, causing buildings, including a school, to collapse.
The US Geological Survey said the quake registered at a shallow depth of less than 1.6km. Chinese media outlets said that it was felt most strongly in Yunnan, as well as in the neighboring provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan.
Xinhua news agency said that the epicenter was in Longtoushan, in Yunnan’s Ludian County.
More than 1,300 people have been reported injured.
Communications have been seriously affected and rescuers are rushing to the scene, the report said.
Chen Guoyong (陳國勇), the head of Longtoushan Township, told Xinhua that many houses there had collapsed, and that rescue workers were working to determine casualties.
Pictures posted online by state media showed troops removing people on stretchers.
Many people rushed out of buildings onto the street after the quake hit, electricity supplies were cut and at least one school collapsed, Xinhua added.
The government is sending 2,000 tents, 3,000 folding beds, 3,000 quilts and 3,000 coats to the disaster zone, the report said.
Ludian is home to about 265,900 people, Xinhua added.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the quake was the strongest to hit Yunnan in 14 years.
Additional reporting by AP
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