A moderate earthquake killed one person and injured 31 in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday, local officials said yesterday. Ten of the injured are in critical condition. One more people was killed and another injured after being hit by the rolling stones from the mountains after a 2.8 magnitude aftershock on Sunday, said the bureau.

The quake, measuring 5.1 degrees on the Richter scale, shook buildings in Yanjin, Daguan, Yiliang and Suijiang counties, at 1:51 PM on Friday, said the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) on its website.

The epicenter of the quake was located northeast of the township of Dousha, 570 kilometers from provincial capital Kunming, it said. The CEA has dispatched earthquake experts to investigate.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs revealed that 1,541 had been toppled by the quake, forcing 45,000 people to re-locate.

"The quake was strongly felt in the county," said Cheng Lianyuan, Party secretary of Yanjin County. "Some big rocks from the mountains rolled down and destroyed many sections of the road linking the town and the county."

"Quite a number of homes in Dousha Township were ruined and the streets were littered with tiles and bricks. Many residents stayed outdoors for fear of aftershocks," said Zhang Yan, another county official. Township officials were investigating casualties and losses caused by the quake in outlying villages, Zhang added.

After the quake, the provincial civil affairs bureau delivered 400 tents (together with 3,000 others provided by the Ministry of Civil Affairs), 16.25 tons of rice, as well as medicines and instant noodles to Yanjin, local officials said, adding that a total of 5,000 officials, police and soldiers are conducting rescue and disaster-relief efforts across the quake-hit area.

Residents in Yanjin should prepare precautions against potential strong aftershocks, said Hu Yonglong, deputy director of the provincial seismological bureau, on Sunday. The area reported more than ten aftershocks, the strongest reaching 3.3 degrees on the Richter scale

Hu urged local officials and residents to have damaged houses repaired and reinforce the mountain slopes besides roads and rivers.

This was the second earthquake in as many months to jolt Yanjin County, which is located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and has a population of 350,000. It sits on an earthquake belt where at least nine major quakes have been recorded, the strongest of which was measured at 7.1.

A similar quake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit Yanjin and neighboring Daguan County on July 22, killing 22 and injuring 106 people.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2006)