Nine injured in SW China quake

KUNMING - Nine people have been slightly injured after a 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Wednesday morning, local authorities said.

The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 9:45 a.m., was located in the border area between Eryuan and Yangbi counties, with a depth of 11 km.

Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau had confirmed nine people as being injured as of 1 p.m..

The bureau has dispatched 4,000 tents, 2,000 clothes and 1,000 quilts to the affected people.

Varying degrees of cracks have appeared in some houses, but electricity and communication have not been affected, said the work team dispatched by the earthquake bureau of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

A 60-member rescue team dispatched by the public security and firefighting departments has rushed to the affected area. The Yunnan provincial disaster relief and civil affairs authorities have also dispatched a work team to the area.

"We really felt the shaking, which lasted a long time. Residents rushed out of their houses for shelter," said Xu Yuhua, a villager in Liantie.

Leading officials in Dali have also rushed to the affected area to guide rescue and relief work.

In March, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake injured 30 people in Eryuan.