One person was killed and three others were injured after an earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted southwest China today, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

One person died, three were injured seriously and 17 others from three tourist buses were trapped by quake-triggered landslides that blocked a road in Yunnan Province, local officials said.

The quake struck this morning in the area bordering the counties of Shangri-La, Deqen of Yunnan Province and Derong County of Sichuan Province, with a depth of about 10 km, the centre said.

The tremors were felt strongly in the county seat of Deqen, said Liao Wencai, Vice-Secretary of the Deqen County Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Benzilan Township is believed to be the epicenter, according to local residents.

“We are heading to Benzilan. The telecommunication there has been cut off, and many residents cannot be reached by mobile phone,” Liao told the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The quake and aftershocks triggered landslides, which blocked the traffic from Deqen to Benzilan, according to Atrong, deputy county head of Deqen.

A resident from Benzilan told Xinhua on mobile phone that houses did not collapse, but the quake was felt strongly.

“We rushed outdoors hastily,” the resident said.

Local authorities are investigating the losses and have sent tents, clothes, quilts, folding beds and mattresses to the disaster-hit area.

The quake also led to the power cut-off in Derong County of Sichuan Province, but no casualties have been reported so far.

Early on Wednesday, a 5.1-magnitude quake hit the same border area, affecting more than 52,000 residents in Yunnan.

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