By SPA,
Beijing : An earthquake that hit southwest China’s Sichuan and Yunnan provinces has killed 25 people, damaged or destroyed more than 100,000 homes and affected at least 440,000 residents, Reuters quoted the state media as saying on Sunday.
The epicentre of Saturday’s quake, which struck around 4:30 p.m. (0730 GMT), was about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Panzhihua, near Sichuan’s border with Yunnan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was about 6 miles (10 km) deep.
The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 5.7, while China’s official Xinhua news agency said it measured 6.1.
Xinhua said the quake had injured 192 people, and three more were missing.
It added that 656 schools had also been damaged and that heavy rain and difficult terrain were hampering rescue efforts, with mobile telephone communications patchy.
State television showed pictures of houses with large cracks in their sides, broken tiles on the road and people receiving medical attention under tents.