An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale hit Ludian County, in southwest China's Yunnan Province, at 6:26 PM on Tuesday. At least three are dead and 594 injured, 142 of them seriously, according to reports issued at noon on Wednesday. More casualties are expected.

According to China's seismological monitoring network, the epicenter of the quake was located at Taoyuan Township, about 255 kilometers north of Kunming, the capital of the province.

In nearby areas, the more densely populated Wenping and Yongfeng townships suffered the most serious damage, said Huang Ling, a Zhaotong City official.

Ludian County hospitals have been overwhelmed with the injured and some patients are being treated in the courtyards.

Many houses are too seriously damaged to live in, according to Zhang Huakun, a county official.

The provincial, city and county governments have launched emergency response programs and organized task forces to rescue and help the affected people.

A group of 34 seismologists have been dispatched from Beijing by the China Seismological Bureau.

It was the third major earthquake to hit Ludian County within a year. Temblors measuring 5.1 and 5.0 on the Richter scale hit the county on November 15 and 26, 2003. Four people were killed and 120 were injured in the two previous quakes.

Ludian County, which has a population of 370,000, is located in eastern Yunnan Province. It is one of China's poorest counties, with the average income of the local farmers only 1,000 yuan (US$120) last year.

(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2004)