China quake flattens hundreds of homes—state media

In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, firefighters work on a damaged building after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit Eryuan County of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Sunday, March 3, 2013. The moderate earthquake caused hundreds of homes to collapse and injured at least 30 people. AP PHOTO/XINHUA, GE SHANGNENG

BEIJING—A shallow 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China on Sunday, causing 700 homes to collapse and leaving 30 people injured, state media said.

The quake struck a rural area in the province of Yunnan on Sunday afternoon, damaging a further 2,500 houses, but there were no reported fatalities, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The quake’s epicenter was nine kilometers (5.6 miles) beneath the surface, Xinhua said, adding that thousands of people were affected by the tremor which prompted authorities to dispatch tents, cotton quilts and coats to the area.

Southwest China is prone to earthquakes, with twin quakes in Yunnan last September triggering landslides that killed at least 80 people.