Earthquake Kills Hundreds In Yunnan Province, China

About 367 people have been killed and some 1,300 injured by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in south-west China, state news agency Xinhua says.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck about 11km (seven miles) north-west of Wenping in Yunnan province at 16:30 local time (08:30 GMT).

A major rescue and relief operation is under way.

The eathquake is believe to be the strongest to hit the province in 14 years, according to State broadcaster CCTV.

The USGS reported that the quake struck at a depth of about 10km in a remote mountainous area in Yunnan province.

It was so strong, it's tremor was also felt in the neighbouring provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan.

About 12,000 homes had collapsed in Ludian, a county of some 439,000 people, north-east of Yunnan province's capital, Kunming.

The casualties are mainly residents of Qiaojia County of the Zhaotong region, which appeared to be the hardest hit.

Ma Liya, a resident of Zhaotong, told Xinhua that the streets there were like "battlefield after bombardment", adding her neighbour's house, a new two-storey building, had collapsed.

The government is sending 2,000 tents, 3,000 folding beds, 3,000 quilts and 3,000 coats to the disaster zone, the report said.