By IANS
Brasilia : A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, killing a five-year-old girl and causing damage across the region, the seismology centre at the University of Brasilia said.
The epicentre of the temblor, which occurred at 12:15 a.m. (0315 GMT) Sunday, was located five kilometres underground and some 190 km north of the city of Montes Claros, which is some 600 km southeast of the Brazilian capital, the Spanish news agency EFE said.
Emergency services officials said the most serious damage occurred in the city of Caraibas, near the epicentre, where at least six houses collapsed and 60 others were damaged so extensively that they might have to be demolished.
Jeissiane Oliveira da Silva, a five-year-old girl, was killed and two of her brothers were slightly injured when their family’s house collapsed in the earthquake.