At least three people were killed and 27 others injured after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Yunnan region on Friday, according to the latest report provided by local authorities.

Among the injured, three suffer serious injuries, according to the official Xinhua news agency, based on the figures of the report updated to 4:00 local time.

The earthquake occurred at 9:48 a.m. local time (13.48 GMT) and its epicenter was located about 23 miles from the town of Dali, near the border with Burma, and at a depth of about 5 miles.

After that, four other earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5 on the Richter scale were recorded until 11:00 local time (15:00 GMT) in Yangbi County, the most affected of the 12 in which the earthquake was felt.

Up to 2:00 local time (18:00 GMT), 166 aftershocks were registered in the area, to which emergency teams have been displaced and are still working.

The Yunnan region, like neighboring Sichuan, is prone to earthquakes due to the friction of the Asian and Indian tectonic plates, although in many cases these earthquakes have their epicenter in areas of low population density, such as the plateau. Tibetan or the deserts of Central Asia.

ANOTHER STRONGER EARTHQUAKE IN QINGHAI

Just hours after the one in Yunnan, Chinese authorities reported another 7.4 magnitude earthquake in western Qinghai province, from which no casualties have been reported so far.

The epicenter of this second earthquake was in Maduo County, about 11 miles deep.

The earthquake, which occurred this morning at 2:04 local time (18.04 GMT), was felt “strongly” in the provincial capital, Xining, which is located almost 249 miles from the epicenter, according to the state press.

The authorities have not reported any deaths or injuries so far, although collapses have been registered in sections of highways and bridges, something that has not prevented “well-equipped” rescue teams from being deployed in the affected area.

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