An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit southwest China's Yunnan Province Thursday evening, with more than 620,700 residents involved and one dead, local authorities said early Friday.

Among the victims, one person died and one was in critical condition, 23 suffered severe injuries and 288 suffered minor injuries as of 23:05 p.m.. Totally more than 8,000 houses were damaged in the earthquake, according to the China National Seismological Network.

The quake occurred at 7:19 p.m., at a depth of about 10 kilometers, with the epicenter in the county's Guantun Township, about 200 km from the provincial city of Kunming, said the China National Seismological Network.

The quake was followed by eight aftershocks measuring 3 to 4.1, three centered in Yao'an and the other five centered in the neighbouring Dayao County. The latest aftershock occurred at 11:09 p.m. in Yao'an, at a depth of 14 kilometers, the network said.

A staff member at the county's Communist Party committee office said he saw no houses collapse in the county seat, about 16 kilometers from Guantun.

Strong tremors were felt in Chuxiong, Lijiang City, Kunming and Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

Meanwhile, the civil affairs department of the Yunnan Province has allocated 2,500 tents, 3,000 quilts and other relief materials to Yao'an, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Thursday night.

Two working teams, one headed by the Yunnan governor Guangrong Qin , and another from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, are en route to the epicenter.

Earthquake China