Twenty-two people are confirmed dead in an earthquake that jolted southwest China's Yunnan Province on Saturday, the local government said Sunday.

The earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale also injured 106 people in the city of Zhaotong, eight of whom are in critical condition, said Tian Rongping, a spokesman with the city government.

The quake was reported at 9:10 AM Saturday with the epicenter located in Yanjin county of Zhaotong, in the northern part of the province.

The death toll stood at 20 Saturday night and two more fatalities were confirmed early on Sunday, said Tian. "One was a driver whose car was hit by a rock in the mud-rock flow following the quake; the other one was a newly confirmed victim from Zhonghe village."

(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2006)