Strong, shallow earthquake shakes southwestern China

BEIJING – A strong, shallow earthquake shook southwestern China’s Yunnan province on Tuesday, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 6.0 and was centred 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Weiyuan city at a depth of 10.1 kilometres (6.3 miles). The shallow depth was likely to cause more damage, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

The official Xinhua News Agency said strong tremors were felt in the provincial capital, Kunming.

The region is prone to earthquakes. A 6.1-magnitude quake in August killed at least 615 people and left more than 100 others missing. In 1970, a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Yunnan killed at least 15,000 people.