Beijing – An earthquake in southwest China early today left at least three people dead – including a boy crushed by debris – while injuring hundreds, destroying buildings and forcing the evacuation of 120,000 residents, state media reported.
The 6.4-magnitude quake struck the county seat of Ning’er shortly, said China’s official Xinhua News Agency, citing the government’s seismological bureau. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake’s magnitude at 6.2.
At least three people died and more than 290 were injured, 15 seriously, Xinhua reported. One of the dead was a 5-year-old boy who was crushed by debris, state television reported. The boy’s parents were also trapped but were rescued by local residents, China Central Television said.
Residents said the initial quake lasted about a minute and that many residents fled to safety in open areas. Others moved into tents after their homes were damaged.
News footage on China Central Television showed partly collapsed brick homes and soldiers knocking down unstable structures. Doctors and nurses treated the injured in a tent.
Rescue teams with thousands of tents, quilts and other relief supplies were rushing to the area, Xinhua reported.
Ning’er lies in a quake-prone mountainous region in Yunnan province about 90 miles north of Laos and is famous for its strong tea, known as Pu’er. For centuries, the area sat astride an important trade route for tea and horses that ran along western China between central Asia and southeastern Asia.
Many of the area’s residents belong to the Hani and Yi minority groups that once thrived in small hillside villages but have in recent decades moved into the county seat.
The quake damaged pipes, cutting off water supplies, and though electricity was still on in some areas, shops and schools were closed.
Xinhua said communications lines were also downed, making it difficult for residents to make phone calls.
By afternoon, the local seismological bureau recorded 233 aftershocks, the strongest with a magnitude of 5.1, said an official with the bureau.
The evacuation of 120,000 residents was ordered after many buildings were deemed to be unsafe, the official said. He said the seismological bureau was among many offices and homes in the area where walls had cracked.
The quake could be felt as far as 185 miles away, Xinhua said.
