Earthquake death toll rises to 25 in south-west China

Earthquake death toll rises to 25 in south-west China Beijing - The death toll rose to at least 25 and more than 400 injured after an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale in south-western China, state media said on Sunday.

At least 17 people died, three were missing and 253 injured in the worst-hit county of Huili in Sichuan province, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Three others were reported dead in Sichuan's Panzhihua city and at least five died in the neighbouring province of Yunnan, the agency said.

Hundreds of homes were damaged in Saturday's quake, which had an epicentre about 50 kilometres south-east Panzhihua at a depth of about 10 kilometres, the State Seismological Bureau said.

About 130,000 homes collapsed in Yunnan, affecting some 440,000 people, the semi-official China News Service said.

The quake was felt in both provincial capitals, prompting many people to remain outdoors on Saturday evening for fear of aftershocks, the reports said.

Electricity, roads and communications were cut off by earthquake damage in several rural areas of Yunnan and Sichuan.

Sichuan was hit by a devastating earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people on May 12 and thousands of aftershocks have shaken parts of the province since then. (dpa)

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