Nearly 86,000 moved to safety after quakes hit Yunnan

By Saturday morning, a total of 85,802 people have been evacuated to safety in Yangbi county, the epicenter of a series of strong earthquakes in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Friday, according to local authorities. The local government has already set up 380 designated temporary shelters.

The quakes, including a 6.4-magnitude one, has claimed three lives and injured 28 others by early Saturday. Two deaths were reported in Yangbi county and one in Yongping county.

An emergency team was set up in the county to inspect and persuade people to evacuate, authorities of Dali Bai autonomous prefecture said at a news briefing on Saturday morning.

More than 6,400 households and 22,000 people within the county seat have been evacuated to three designated emergency shelters. People in all towns and villages under the county have been evacuated to safe areas.

So far, Dali has sent out 1,550 tents, 300 folding beds and 13,500 quilts. Other supportive materials including clothes and blankets are also being transported to the stricken area.

The provincial finance department has allocated 20 million yuan ($3.1 million) and the Dali government has set aside 2 million yuan for rescue work.

After the earthquakes, rescue teams at all levels arrived in the disaster area in time to carry out rescue work, with 16,233 people involved.

As of 3 am Saturday, the expressway, which was blocked by landslides and falling rocks, had been cleared, opening way for rescue vehicles, according to the local transportation department.

Yangbi Yi autonomous county is located in the middle of Dali Bai autonomous prefecture and the west of Yunnan province. The county has 13 ethnic groups including Yi, Han, Bai and Hui. By the end of last year, the county had 105,698 people with household registration.