China quake forces 400,000 to flee homes

MORE than 400,000 people have left their homes after an earthquake rocked south-western China, killing one person and destroying thousands of houses.

Thursday’s magnitude-6.0 temblor, centred in Yunnan province’s Yao’an county, also injured 325 others, 24 seriously, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Yunnan Television showed displaced residents sleeping outdoors in makeshift beds made up of brightly coloured quilts. Others packed into emergency tents, bundles of provisions and clothing in tow. Often people leave even undamaged houses after earthquakes because they are afraid to sleep indoors while aftershocks continue to shake the area. Piles of rubble from damaged houses made of brick and clay were scattered on the ground in the footage.