Earthquake hits China's border with Myanmar

20-08-2008

AFP/File – A 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit China's border with Myanmar early Wednesday, destroying homes and …
BEIJING (AFP) – A 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit China's border with Myanmar early Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing more than a thousand people to evacuate, the US Geological Survey and Chinese state media said.

The tremor struck at 5:35 am (2135 GMT), 224 kilometres (139 miles) from the city of Dali in southwest China and 65 kilometres from Myitkyina in Myanmar, according to a statement on the USGS website.

The USGS said the quake was centred at a depth of about eight kilometres (five miles).

About 1,200 people were forced to evacuate their homes near the epicentre, an area populated with large numbers of ethnic minorities, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Many homes collapsed in Sudian and several other towns also reported damage, Xinhua reported.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, according to the agency.

A massive quake hit southwest China in May, leaving nearly 70,000 dead, with about 18,000 people still missing.