Three dead as quake rocks China

Three dead as quake rocks China

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rattled a mountainous region in southwest China today, killing three people and injuring about 300, state media and officials said.

Residents in Pu'er, the centre of a famous tea-producing area in Yunnan province, fled their houses in panic when the tremor struck at 5.34am (7.34am AEST), the Xinhua news agency reported.

A five-year-old boy was crushed to death when his family's home collapsed, state television said. His parents were taken to hospital but were deemed out of danger.
Local authorities reported more than 290 people injured by mid-afternoon, Xinhua said.
The agency earlier said that 15 had sustained serious injuries.
“We're still compiling data on the casualties and on material damage,” a local civil affairs official told China News Service. “The numbers will definitely go up.”
Authorities ordered the evacuation of thousands of people in the tremor-prone region near the border with Laos and MyanMarch

In Beijing, Cabinet leaders including Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu ordered the establishment of a special emergency task force to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.
Aftershocks continuously rattled the area, one with a magnitude of 5.1, prompting Pu'er officials to issue a warning to residents, the China News Service said.

Roads were severely damaged in the quake and water and power supplies to the area were cut off, Xinhua said.