An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has hit the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, according to the United States Geological Service. Local media report at least five fatalities in the result of the jolt.
The quake's epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers deep, 163 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Yunjinghong. Initially, it was measured as 6.4 magnitude.
Xinhua news agency said violent tremors could be felt in the provincial capital of Yunnan, Kunming, which is some 298 kilometers away from the epicenter.
CCTV News reported that five people were killed and 38 injured, adding that the number of casualties in the quake is likely to increase.
According to GDAC (only) 2.4 million people live within a 100 km radius of the epicenter of the Yunnan #quake. pic.twitter.com/tjYT56mfeT
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 7, 2014
The Yunnan province is situated in a mountainous area and borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. It suffered a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 1966 when 322 people died and 186,000 houses collapsed in the town of Lijiang.
On August 3, Yunnan’s Ludian County was struck by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which killed 617 people and destroyed 12,000 houses.