South-west China lies in an area that is prone to earthquakes. An earthquake in Sichuan in 2008 killed tens of thousands of people while a magnitude 7.7 quake in Yunnan in 1970 killed at least 15,000.

1. M6.1 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES
NORTHERN YUNNAN PROVINCE
4:30 pm, August 3, 2014

2. LOCATION MAP

3. LOCATION: 366 kilometers
(277 miles) northeast of
Yunnan's capital, Kunming

4. At least 398 people dead,
with higher losses expected
More than 1,400 injured,
About 12,000 homes
collapsed in Ludian county

5. But rescuers trying to deliver the much-
needed supplies are struggling to reach
the area due to landslides.

6. Unrelenting rain and continuing
landslides have left many roads in the
region too damaged to use

7. At least 12,000 houses were reportedly
destroyed in the earthquake, with
another 30,000 damaged.

8. VULNERABLE BRICK HOUSES
• The homes that collapsed in
Ludian (a population of about
429,000), were mostly old brick
houses having little resistance
to strong ground shaking.

9. TYPICAL DAMAGE ZHAOTONG,
THE COUNTY SEAT

10. Local hospitals were overwhelmed by the
hundreds of people injured after the
powerful tremor

11. RECENT DEADLY EARTHQUAKES
IN WESTERN CHINA
• SICHUAN PROVINCE--APRIL 2010: . at
least 196 people dead.
• QINGHA PROVINCE– 2010: A M6.9
earth-quake killed 2,700 people
• SICHUAN PROVINCE– A M7.9
earthquake in May 2008: 88,000 dead
and 56 million buildings damaged

12. A Highly Seismic Region