26 Dec 2008 18:09:52 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIJING, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Three earthquakes jolted China's
southwestern provinces on Friday, injuring 19 people and forcing the
evacuation of tens of thousands more, state media said, citing local
authorities.

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale struck at 4:20 a.m.
(2020 GMT Thursday) about 10 km (6.2 miles) from Ruili, a town on the
China-Myanmar border, Xinhua said, citing the province's earthquake monitor.

The quake destroyed the city government's old office building and
prompted the evacuation of about 30,000 people, Xinhua said, citing the
local Communist Party chief.

Authorities were distributing supplies, Xinhua said.

Another tremor measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale jolted Yiliang county
near provincial capital Kunming at 2:19 a.m., damaging more than 100
houses, affecting some 1,200 people in eight villages. No casualties
were reported, Xinhua said.

A third quake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale struck neighbouring
Guizhou province at about 8 p.m., Xinhua said. No casualties were reported.

"We have phone called all the 26 townships and received no report of
casualties or house collapses. Traffic and telecommunications are
running as normal," Sha Xiangui, the local Communist Party chief of
Luodian country, where the earthquake occurred, was quoted as saying.

China is still struggling to build housing and infrastructure for
millions of people made homeless by the May 12 Sichuan earthquake which
killed 80,000 people.

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