Thaindian News

Beijing, Sep 7 (IANS) At least 64 people have been confirmed dead and 715 others injured after multiple earthquakes struck a mountainous region in China’s Yunnan province Friday, the province’s civil affairs department said.

The 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit the border area of Yiliang county of Yunnan and Weining county of Guizhou at 11.19 a.m. and the depth of its epicentre was about 14 km, Xinhua reported.

Over 100,000 people have been evacuated in Yunnan, said an official with the province’s civil affairs department in the afternoon.

All the victims were from Zhaotong city.

Preliminary investigation showed that more than 20,000 houses were damaged or had collapsed in the quake, the official said.

The provincial seismological bureau said as of 1 p.m. the area had been stricken by 16 aftershocks, with the strongest one measuring magnitude-5.6.

Authorities were transporting thousands of tents, quilts and coats to the quake-hit area. So far, no casualties have been reported in Guizhou province, but the quake has also damaged or even toppled homes in Weining county, Chen Bo, an official said earlier in the day.