400,000 evacuated after earthquake in south-west China (4th Lead)

Jul 10, 2009, 7:34 GMT

   Beijing - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6 on the Richter scale struck overnight in south-western China, destroying about 18,000 homes, injuring more than 300 people and forcing the evacuation of 400,000, state media reported Friday.

   The quake damaged another 75,000 homes near the epicentre in Yao'an county and four adjoining counties in Yunnan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

   It affected an area inhabited by 1.26 million people and could be felt in the nearby tourist cities of Lijiang and Dali, and in the provincial capital, Kunming, some 200 kilometres from the epicentre.

   At least one person died and 325 people were reported injured, including 24 in serious condition, the agency quoted local officials as saying.

   A 50-year-old woman died of blood loss in hospital after she was pulled from the debris of a collapsed house, it said.

   The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres below the ground with an epicentre 2,130 kilometres south-west of Beijing. It was followed by at least eight aftershocks.

   It was initially measured at a magnitude of 6 by the China Earthquake Administration, but the US Geological Survey recorded the quake at 5.7.

   More than 300 soldiers joined hundreds of police and civilians in the immediate rescue and evacuation operation in the mountainous area, which is about 2,200 metres above sea level, state television said.

   The Yunnan provincial civil affairs department allocated 20 million yuan (2.9 million dollars) in emergency funds and dispatched 4,500 tents, 3,000 quilts and other relief materials to Yao'an, the reports said.

   A 6.5-magnitude earthquake killed seven people in Yao'an county in 2000.