A powerful earthquake shook southwest China Tuesday night, killing at least one person and leaving more than 300 people injured, as well as 50,000 displaced, officials said Wednesday. As aftershocks continued to strike the area well into the next day, thousands camped on streets since most buildings were left damaged.
The shallow 6.0 magnitude quake hit the Weiyuan city area of Yunnan province that lies close to China's borders with Myanmar (Burma) and Laos at the depth of 10.1 kilometers (6.3 miles), around 9:49 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. At least eight of the 324 people injured were confirmed to be in serious condition, the Yunnan provincial government said.
Photos on social media showed damaged houses, cracked walls and fallen roof tiles, and crowds of people gathered outside into the night, Agence France-Presse reported.
"The whole building was shaking terribly with a loud cracking sound. Plates fell off in the kitchen. We all ran out and the streets are now packed with people," Li Anqin, a woman living in Weiyuan town, the county seat of Jinggu, told Xinhua by telephone.
"We all ran out and the streets now are packed with people," Li said.
Jinggu County, which was closest to the epicenter of the quake and has a population of 290,000, suffered the most number of casualties, with 56,880 people having to be relocated on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency said.
"Many houses collapsed and we are investigating the casualties," a local official said.
Around 3,200 troops and 600 professional rescuers with sniffer dogs were dispatched after a top-level emergency was declared by provincial officials, including an "all-out-effort" being ordered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to rescue quake victims, ensure the delivery of food, water and other supplies, and fix disruptions to transportation and communications.
"A state television reporter in the city of Pu'er, about 85 kilometers (53 miles) from the epicenter, said people fled buildings and were camping outdoors in anticipation of more aftershocks. The reporter, Wang Jian, said there was damage to structures and the local cellphone network," the Associated Press reported.
"Strong tremors were felt in the provincial capital, Kunming, about 360 kilometers (220 miles) to the northeast. An initial 230-member rescue team was dispatched to the quake area within two hours of its striking," Xinhua said.
Meanwhile, Yunnan province is known to be prone to earthquakes due to seismic activity from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which form the vast Himalaya mountain range. In August, a 6.1-magnitude quake killed at least 615 people, leaving more than 100 missing.
