At least 3 dead and 27 injured as earthquake shakes south-west China

A strong, shallow earthquake shook south-western China on Friday night, killing at least three people and injuring more than two dozen.

Authorities have rushed emergency supplies, including tents, to the scene near the tourist city of Dali in Yunnan province.

The Yunnan seismological bureau said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4.

A second, 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit early on Saturday in the southern part of Qinghai province in western China, about 1,000 kilometres north of the first one.

While there were no reports of casualties, roads were damaged in Maduo county. Aftershocks continued into Saturday morning, with multiple smaller tremors recorded by China's earthquake administration.

US Geological Survey geophysicist Jonathan Tytell said the two earthquakes were not related.

The earthquake in Yunnan struck eight kilometres below the surface at Yangbi county, 28 kilometres north-west of Dali.

Shallow earthquakes often cause more damage, especially in populated areas.

It caused strong shaking around Dali, but Chinese news reports showed relatively little damage.

Three people died and 27 were injured, local authorities told state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday.

Relief efforts are under way, with the provincial authorities sending emergency rations and tents to the affected areas.

Last year, a magnitude 5 earthquake in Yunnan killed four people and injured 23.

China’s worst earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan, province to the north of Yunnan, in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people.