3 killed, 290 hurt as 2 earthquakes rock China

At least three persons were confirmed killed, while at least 290 others were injured after two quakes, one of the measuring magnitude 6.2, rocked Yunnan province in China early Sunday (Manila time). Chinese state-run Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday that the quake, which may have measured 6.4, shook the old town of Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Ning'er of Pu'er City. Xinhua said the quake shook the old downtown area of Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Ning'er, in Pu'er City, at 5:34 a.m., with the epicenter at 23 degrees north and 101.1 degrees east, according to the China Earthquake Administration. Some houses near the county collapsed and roads are severely destroyed. The communication network, and water and power supplies to the county are also affected, Xinhua said. Reports said the quake also forced the evacuation of 120,000 residents, said a spokesman for the provincial civil affairs department. The Pu'er City government allocated one million yuan for relieving the disaster, while the provincial civil affairs department sent 2,000 tents, 2,000 quilts and 2,000 items of clothes to the stricken area. Ning'er County, covering an area of 3,670 square kilometers, has a population of 190,000. Pu'er City is prone to strong earthquakes. It has experienced 20 quakes above magnitude of 5 since 1990. Pu'er, located in the southwest of Yunnan Province, borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. It covers an area of 45,000 square kilometers and has a population of nearly 2.6 million. The United States Geological Service (USGS) reported on its website (www.usgs.gov) that the first quake measuring magnitude 6.2 occurred at 5:34 a.m. and was traced 115 km north-northeast of Yunjinghong in Yunnan. It was 220 km west of Gejiu, Yunnan, China or 270 km northwest of Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. A quake measuring magnitude 4.8 was recorded at 10:49 a.m., with the epicenter traced 120 km north-northeast of Yunjinghong, or 205 km west of Gejiu, or 260 km northwest of Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. - GMANews.TV