At least three people were killed and 210 injured in the 6.2 Richter scale quake that hit Dayao County late Monday, just 180 kilometres (110 miles) from the Yunnan capital Kunming where the Spanish team will arrive Friday.

Real Madrid are to spend a week in Kunming training ahead of a money spinning tour of Asia.

The Xinhua news agency and local seismological officials said the tremer was clearly felt in Kunming although there were no immediate reports of damage there.

"Kunming definitly felt the quake. We don't know if there is any danage or casualties yet," a Yunnan provincial official surnamed Tian told AFP>

A Kunming municipal government official said there was no major damage that he knew of.

"There has been no disaster in Kunming," he said,

In Dayao, some 14,115 houses were damaged, an official surnamed Zhao at the Emergency and Rescue Section of the Yunnan Seismological Bureau said.

"According to reports from the Dayao county government there are three people dead and 15 seriously injured as of 8 am (0000 GMT) today. 195 people were slightly injured," she told AFP.

"About 14,115 houses were damaged."

Xinhua said a number of houses had collapsed.

The State Seismological Bureau said the quake hit Tanhua Town at 11:16 pm Monday (1516 GMT) while Zhao said 13 aftershocks had so far been felt, the strongest registering around 4.0 on the Richter scale.

Disaster relief work was underway Tuesday with rescue teams sent to all 14 of Dayao's townships.

TERRA.WIRE