At least one person is dead and 31 others injured, including 10 seriously, after an earthquake measuring 5.1 degrees on the Richter scale jolted Yanjin County, Zhaotong City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, at 1:51 PM yesterday.

 

Earlier reports that said the death toll was two proved erroneous when it was discovered that the same victim had been counted twice, a spokesman with the Zhaotong municipal government told Xinhua News Agency.

 

"Power, communications and traffic in the quake-hit areas have all been resumed," said Yang Jiahua, vice mayor of Zhaotong.

 

The official said medical workers have arrived in the affected areas for rescue and epidemic prevention.

 

Yunnan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs has sent officials and earthquake experts to direct relief efforts in quake-hit areas.

 

Yin Liyuan, vice director of the department, said 400 tents were already on the way to the quake-hit areas.

 

Vice governor Kong Chuizhu urged local governments to assess the situation in affected areas and evacuate people to safe places.

 

Damage to homes and economic losses are being calculated.

 

The epicenter of the quake was located 28 degrees north and 104.2 degrees east of the town of Dousha, 570 kilometers from Kunming, the provincial capital.

 

Cheng Lianyuan, secretary of Yanjin County's Party committee, said Dousha was 26 kilometers from the county town, adding, "The quake was strongly felt in the county. Some big rocks rolled down from the mountains and destroyed many parts of the road between Dousha and the county town."

 

The work team from Yanjin was stuck on the damaged road, which was being repaired by more than 50 workers.

 

Yet Zhang Yan, head of the county's publicity department, had already visited Dousha.

 

"Quite a number of homes in the town were damaged and the streets are littered with tiles and bricks. Many residents stayed outdoors for fear of aftershocks," she said.

 

Officials of the town were investigating casualties and losses caused by the quake in the villages, Zhang said.

 

The earthquake was also strongly felt in the neighboring county of Daguan, 40 kilometers from the epicenter.

 

Zheng Yi, head of the county, said they were counting casualties and losses.

 

Yanjin County is located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and has a population of 350,000.

 

An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit Yanjin and Daguan on July 22, killing 22 and injuring 106 people.

 

The quake toppled more than 1,400 houses and damaged 38,000 others in 13 towns of the county as most houses in Yanjin have been built on hillside and therefore vulnerable to earthquakes.

 

Yanjin is located on an earthquake belt, where at least nine major quakes were recorded in history, with the strongest being measured at 7.1 on the Richter scale.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2006)