5.9-magnitude quake jolts SW China

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake shook southwest China at 08:04 Saturday morning, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.       

One person died, three were seriously injured and 17 others became trapped on three tourist buses by quake-triggered landslides that blocked a road in Yunnan Province, local authorities said.              

The epicenter of the quake was in the area bordering the counties of Shangri-La, Deqen of Yunnan Province and Derong County of Sichuan Province, at 28.2 degrees north latitude and 99.4 degrees east longitude and with a depth of about 10 kilometers, the center said.                    

The quake was felt strongly in the county seat of Deqen, said Liao Wencai, vice secretary of the Deqen County Committee of the Communist Party of China.                     

Benzilan Township is believed to have been the epicenter of the quake, according to local residents.              

The quake and aftershocks triggered landslides that blocked roads from Deqen to Benzilan, according to Atrong, deputy county head of Deqen.                            

Local authorities are still calculating the losses caused by the quake and have sent tents, clothes, quilts, folding beds and mattresses to the disaster-hit area.                       

The quake also led to a power cut in Derong County, but no casualties have been reported in the region.             

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


AP