Armed police officers in Shangri-La county, Yunnan Province, on Saturday try to rescue the driver trapped in a truck near a scenic spot following a 5.9-magnitude earthquake at the border area of Yunnan and Sichuan Province. Photo:IC

 

Three people have been killed and 52 others injured in a 5.9-magnitude quake that jolted Southwest China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces on Saturday morning, local authorities said.

The three deaths were all in Yunnan, where 38 people were injured. In bordering Sichuan, 14 injured were reported from the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, which administers Derong county.

The quake hit the border area in the counties of Shangri-La and Deqen in Yunnan Province and Derong in Sichuan at 8:04 am, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Over 300 aftershocks have been recorded, with the largest measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale, the center said.

In Deqen the quake has toppled 600 residential units and damaged 55,500 others, forcing some 9,200 local residents to relocate, according to a statement from the Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department.

In Derong, Sichuan, 16,208 local residents were affected by the tremor, with 10,508 having been evacuated.

Quake and aftershock-triggered landslides near highways have affected traffic, trapping four tourist buses. Falling rocks killed a driver and injured seven tourists aboard the buses.

About 300 tourists are being evacuated from two counties - Shangri-La and Deqen - in Yunnan. Local tourism authorities have also shut down some scenic spots to avoid potential risks.

An announcement from the tourism bureau of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of Deqen recommends that tourists and residents in Shangri-La not visit Tiger Leaping Gorge, Meri Snow Mountain and Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey National Park in the short term.

Scenic spots, including Balagezong Area and Tiger Leaping Gorge, have been temporarily shut down, said the announcement.

Some 109 schools and 60,000 students in Yunnan Province have also been affected. All 109 schools in Deqen have been ordered to suspend the opening of autumn term, which will affect nearly 60,000 students, the local education bureau said, adding that 14 schools were damaged.

The quake also affected telecommunications and electricity supply in Deqen and Derong counties, complicating rescue efforts.

Local authorities have rushed to carry out rescue and disaster relief work.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs and provincial authorities have sent tents, clothes, blankets, folding beds and mattresses to the disaster-hit areas.

Early on Wednesday, a 5.1-magnitude quake hit the same Yunnan-Sichuan border area, affecting more than 52,000 residents in Yunnan.

Global Times - Xinhua