Thousands of houses damaged after quake in southwest China

BEIJING (AFP) Nov 27, 2003
Thousands of houses collapsed or were seriously damaged when the fourth earthquake in five months hit the poor southwest Chinese province of Yunnan, an official said Thursday.

The tremor, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, jolted Ludian county late Wednesday, injuring four, according to a county official.

"A total of 1,449 rooms collapsed, and 9,431 were damaged," he said.

Quake damage is usually calculated in terms of rooms in China, with a house in the area typically having two or three, he said.

A quake hit not far from Wednesday's tremor earlier this month, claiming four dead, with 65 injured.

In October, a quake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit another part of Yunnan, killing three and affecting 189,000 residents in Dayao district, northwest of Kunming.

In July, a quake measuring 6.2 on the Ricter scale killed 16 in the earthquake prone region in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains.

TERRA.WIRE