Two separate China quakes cause damage; three people are killed and dozens more are injured.
A strong shallow quake struck southwestern China near the Myanmar border, killing at least three people and injuring more than two dozen others, while a separate 7.3-magnitude quake struck central China early Saturday, collapsing a bridge and causing other damage.
The second quake occurred in southern Qinghai province, approximately 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) north of the first in Yunnan province.
Geophysicist Jonathan Tytell of the United States Geological Survey stated that the two quakes were unrelated.
According to the official People’s Daily newspaper, the Qinghai temblor was followed by 453 aftershocks throughout the early morning and into the afternoon. At least eight people were injured in the incident.
While no fatalities have been reported in Qinghai province thus far, the quakes destroyed roads and bridges, with one completely collapsing and breaking into segments.
According to the Yunnan province seismological bureau, the Friday night quake had a magnitude of 6.4 and occurred 8 kilometers (5 miles) beneath the surface northwest of Dali.
Shallow earthquakes frequently cause more damage, particularly in densely populated areas.
Although the earthquake caused significant shaking in the area surrounding Dali, Chinese news reports indicated that the earthquake caused relatively little damage.
Three people were killed and 28 were injured, according to the Yunan province’s publicity department.
Provincial authorities have begun relief efforts, sending emergency rations and tents to the affected areas. Authorities in Qinghai established temporary safety shelters in response to the ongoing aftershocks.
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Yunnan last year, killing four people and injuring 23.
In 2008, China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan province, north of Yunnan. Nearly 90,000 people were killed.
