Hundreds killed in China quake

BEIJING — A strong earthquake in southern China’s Yunnan province toppled thousands of homes on Sunday, killing at least 381 people and injuring more than 1,800.

About 12,000 homes collapsed in Ludian, a county of about 429,000 people located 277 miles northeast of Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The magnitude6.1 quake struck at 4:30 p.m. at a depth of six miles, according to the US Geological Survey. Its epicenter was in Longtoushan township, the Ludian county seat.

Ma Liya, a resident of Zhaotong, told Xinhua that the streets were like a “battlefield after bombardment.” She said the earthquake was far worse than one that struck the area in 2012 and killed 81 people.

Xinhua said most of the deaths — 357 — were in Zhaotong City, Xinhua reported.

Another 10 people were killed in Quijing City.

News reports said rescuers were still trying to reach victims in more remote towns Sunday night, amid fears the death toll would rise.

Photos on Weibo, a Chinese socialmedia site, showed rescuers searching through flattened buildings and people injured amid piles of toppled bricks.

UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon offered “his condolences to the Chinese government and the families of those killed,” according to a statement from his office.