Strong Quake Rocks China

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake rattled a mountainous region in southwest China at dawn on Sunday, killing three people and injuring about 300 according to state media and officials.

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. The quake forced 120,000 people to evacuate their homes in the tremor prone region near the border with Laos and Myanmar.

Hundreds of aftershocks continuously rattled the area, one with a magnitude of 5.1, prompting Pu'er officials to issue a warning to residents. Roads were severely damaged in the quake and water and power supplies to the area were cut off. Telecommunications systems were also damaged, making it difficult to assess the situation on the ground.