Beijing: At least 11 people were injured and
a lot of homes severely damaged by a 5.1-magnitude quake which
hit southwest China on Thursday, state media reported.
The tremor hit at 0456 GMT and was centred about 60
miles northwest of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, at a
relatively shallow depth of 16 kilometres, Xinhua news agency
said, citing the China Earthquake Administration.
An emergency team dispatched to the area found lots of
rural houses had been severely damaged by the tremor, Xinhua
said.
"They are continuing their investigation into the
casualties and losses," the spokesman for the Yunnan
Provincial Seismological Bureau said.
Yunnan's government planned to earmark more than USD
700,000 as relief funds for the tremor-hit area, Vice Governor
Cao Jianfang said, according to the agency.
"We must ensure that the disaster-stricken residents are
properly accommodated and have adequate food, water and
clothes," Cao said.
The local Red Cross and provincial authorities had also
sent emergency teams and relief supplies to the quake zone,
Xinhua reported.
An 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Sichuan in
May 2008, leaving nearly 87,000 people dead or missing and
more than five million others homeless.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010, 21:30