Number of people injured rises to 10 after earthquake in southwestern China

ISTANBUL

The number of people injured in a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in southwestern China rose to 10 on Wednesday, up from three injuries reported earlier in the day, according to local media.

The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred on Tuesday night at 11.27 p.m. local time (1527GMT), was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) below the surface in the district of Longyang, located in Yunnan province's Baoshan city, the Global Times daily reported.

Nine of the 10 people injured have been released from the hospital, while around 2,800 dwellings near the epicenter were damaged, the report added.

"Apart from damage to property, power and water supplies and communications, a seismogenic fault was detected in Lancang river," the Yunnan provincial earthquake authority confirmed.

"Early warning messages" on the possibility of an earthquake were sent to phones and televisions, averting casualties, it added.

The earthquake was followed hours later by another tremor in the neighboring province of Sichuan on Wednesday, with no casualties reported so far.

That quake measured 4.5 on the Richter scale and was centered in the county of Xingwen.