Earthquake in China: four dead and one hundred injured

A powerful earthquake struck a mountainous region Sunday in southwestern China, killing at least four dead and over 100 injured, said the official news agency New China. According to the American Institute of Geology (USGS), which estimated 5.5 magnitude earthquake, the quake occurred at the border of Sichuan and Yunnan shortly before 4:00 am (0800 GMT) at a relatively low depth of 9.3 km.The magnitude of the earthquake was estimated at 5.7 by the Chinese authorities. The earthquake was followed by a 3.3 magnitude aftershock, said the Chinese seismological services. The earthquake caused the destruction of homes and cut off communications in several areas Ninglang County in Yunnan Province, said New China. Three people were killed in Ninglang County and a fourth person in the neighboring county of Yanyuan in Sichuan, the agency said. The quake also injured 104 of which 20 were in serious condition , the agency said citing local authorities. Authorities in Yunnan Province have sent relief materials in the Ninglang, including 1,100 tents and 3,000 blankets, the source said. An official from the historic town of Lijiang, chief place Ninglang County, told AFP it was too early to assess the casualties and the extent of damage. A responsible local authority County Yanyuan quoted by New China has said his side that many homes had collapsed in rural areas. The area affected by the earthquake is populated by inhabitants of the Yi ethnic minority. Beijing estimates that some 7.8 million the number of members of this minority, in four provinces, mainly those in Yunnan and Sichuan. This mountainous region is particularly prone to earthquakes. In February 1996, a powerful earthquake had killed 200 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Lijiang, a UNESCO World Heritage site. May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8 earthquake had left thousands dead in Sichuan.