At least 3 dead and 27 injured as earthquake shakes south-west China

The Yunnan province seismological bureau gave the magnitude as 6.4

Medical workers treat a woman after an earthquake in Yangbi county, in south-western China's Yunnan Province. AP Photo

Emergency workers set up tents for people displaced by an earthquake in Yangbi county, near the tourist city of Dali , in China's south-western Yunnan province. AFP

Firefighters set up tents for people displaced by the earthquake near the Chinese city of Dali. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4. AFP

A resident spends the night outdoors with his cat in the city of Dali, following an earthquake in nearby Yangbi county. At least three people were killed in the earthquake, with 27 injured. Reuters

People wait outside in Xining, capital of western China's Qinghai province, following a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Maduo county. Geophysicists said it was not related to the earlier Yunnan earthquake. AP Photo

A man checks his mobile phone as residents in Dali, in south-west China's Yunnan province, prepare to sleep outdoors, following an earthquake in Yangbi county, 28 kilometres away. Reuters

Chinese rescue workers set up tents for the homeless hours after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Yangbi county, Yunnan province. EPA

The earthquake struck about eight kilometres beneath the surface. Such shallow earthquakes often cause more damage. Reuters

Rescue personnel bring emergency supplies to residents of Yangbi county, the epicentre of an earthquake in China's Yunnan province. AP Photo

A strong, shallow earthquake shook south-western China on Friday night, killing at least three people and injuring more than two dozen.

Authorities have rushed emergency supplies, including tents, to the scene near the tourist city of Dali in Yunnan province.

The Yunnan seismological bureau said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4.

A second, 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit early on Saturday in the southern part of Qinghai province in western China, about 1,000 kilometres north of the first one.

While there were no reports of casualties, roads were damaged in Maduo county. Aftershocks continued into Saturday morning, with multiple smaller tremors recorded by China's earthquake administration.

US Geological Survey geophysicist Jonathan Tytell said the two earthquakes were not related.

The earthquake in Yunnan struck eight kilometres below the surface at Yangbi county, 28 kilometres north-west of Dali.

Shallow earthquakes often cause more damage, especially in populated areas.

It caused strong shaking around Dali, but Chinese news reports showed relatively little damage.

Three people died and 27 were injured, local authorities told state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday.

Relief efforts are under way, with the provincial authorities sending emergency rations and tents to the affected areas.

Last year, a magnitude 5 earthquake in Yunnan killed four people and injured 23.

China’s worst earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan, province to the north of Yunnan, in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people.