The death toll from a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in the southwestern province of Yunnan has risen to 22, with 201 others injured, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The earthquake toppled 583 houses, mainly in the county near the border with Burma (Myanmar).
No school building collapsed, according to the report. The government has sent almost 1,000 soldiers to the rescue operation, Xinhua said.
The website of the government earthquake monitoring station said the quake struck in Yunnan province just before 1pm today at a depth of six miles.
The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 5.4 and said it struck at a depth of 22 miles. Quakes of magnitude 5 or more are capable of causing considerable damage.
Bloomberg/PA
