4 killed, 24 injured as quake hits China

An earthquake has struck China's southwestern Yunnan province, killing at least four people and injuring 24 others, according to officials. One person was trapped in debris, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

It said that rescue and relief teams, including firefighters, have been sent to the quake zone. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the 5-magnitude shallow quake struck Qiaojia county at 9.47 PM on Monday.

The epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of eight kilometers and it was felt in Qujing city's Huize county as well as in the cities of Zhaotong, Xuanwei, and Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture. The county government of Qiaojia has sent rescuers to 16 townships for rescue and disaster relief assistance.

According to the report, the earthquake has damaged 10 telecom base stations. The Yunnan provincial disaster reduction committee office and the provincial emergency response department have launched a level-four response for disaster relief and sent a working group to the disaster area to assist and guide the relief work.