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Earthquake in SW China Kills 1, Injures 300


Paramilitary policemen set up a relief tent in Yongping township after an earthquake hit Jinggu county, Yunnan province, October 8, 2014.
Paramilitary policemen set up a relief tent in Yongping township after an earthquake hit Jinggu county, Yunnan province, October 8, 2014.

A strong, shallow earthquake has hit a mountainous region of southwestern China, leaving at least one person dead and injuring over 300 others.

Chinese state media also say at least 50,000 people were displaced by the quake, which was centered in Yunnan province's Jinggu County.

The United States Geological Survey measured the late Tuesday earthquake at a magnitude of 6.0 and said it had a depth of just over 10 kilometers.

Chinese authorities put the quake's magnitude at a much stronger 6.6 and said it struck just five kilometers beneath the surface.

The official Xinhua news agency says nearly 7,000 buildings were toppled and 14,000 more damaged.

Jinggu County hospital official Tao Shikun said doctors are scrambling to treat injured patients.

"Two of the patients are in serious condition and dangerously injured. And there is another that needs a blood transfusion to survive," said Tao.

Many residents spent Tuesday night in makeshift tents, as several aftershocks continued to hit the area.

Hundreds of troops and rescue workers have been sent to the region, and Premier Li Keqiang has ordered an "all-out effort" to save lives.

Jinggu County, which is near China's border with Myanmar and Laos, has a population of 290,000 and is made up mostly of ethnic minorities.

The mountainous region is prone to earthquakes. In August, about 600 people died when a 6.3-magnitude quake struck another part of Yunnan.

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