China quake damages over 12,000 houses

Over 12,000 houses have sustained damage after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Yunnan province, the local civil affairs department said on Saturday.

The earthquake with epicentre Baoshan city at a depth of 10 kms, occured at 7.26 p.m. (local time) on Friday. No casualties have been reported, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the provincial civil affairs department, 856 people were forced to evacuate, while 168 houses collapsed and over 12,000 were damaged.

Yunnan Provincial Earthquake Administration has dispatched a 20-member team to the worst-hit area as part of emergency response procedure.

Electricity and telecommunication have resumed and 400 tents and 700 coats are being distributed among the affected.

Mountainous Yunnan is an earthquake prone area. A 6.5 magnitude quake hit Ludian county on August 3 last year, killing more than 600 people.