A magnitude 5.8 earthquake has struck the western part of Southwest China's Yunnan province. The local civil authority says at least 14 people have been killed while another 1 hundred and 57 have been injured.

 

It's still being followed by a series of aftershocks. The government has launched a level three disaster relief response, as experts warn there may be still more tremors to come.

It was an ordinary peaceful afternoon when the powerful tremor rocked Ying-jiang county in the westernmost part of the province.

At around 1 pm local time, the quake jolted the county at a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter is only about three kilometers from the county's downtown area, threatening greater damage.

Power supplies have been cut and many people are buried under collapsed buildings.

Here in this hotel building, 3 people are still trapped on the first floor. Rescuers are making every effort to free them. The good news is that they are trapped in a relatively safe space, and there is no other danger facing them at the moment.

The Disaster Mitigation Committee and Civil Affairs Ministry have raised the disaster relief response from level four to level three. Yunnan Provincial department of civil affairs is also delivering relief materials to the area. Rescue teams, official workgroups and experts have also been sent.

Seismological experts say there could be more shocks with a magnitude of up to five.

YingJiang county lies in a quake-prone region. It has experienced more than one thousand and two hundred minor earthquakes over the past two months. It's feared that they have weakened local infrastructure.