2009 Yunnan earthquake


The 2009 Yunnan earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 5.7 in Yunnan province, People's Republic of China on 9 July. At least one person died and over 300 were injured, with over 50 of these sustaining serious injuries.

Background and tectonics

At 11:19 UTC, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake with an epicentre at occurred. The epicentre was in Guantun, from the province's capital Kunming and east north east of Dali. The depth of the event was. Eight aftershocks were recorded. A magnitude 5.0 aftershock occurred on July 10 at 09:02:04 UTC. Its epicentre was located at. In total, there were over 8 aftershocks.

Damage and casualties

The earthquake destroyed 10,000 houses and damaged a further 30,000. One person died and over 300 people were injured, with over 50 suffering serious injuries. Yunnan province's civil affairs department was dispatching 4,500 tents, and 3,000 quilts as part of the disaster relief efforts. Also, a coal mine collapsed in the epicentral area within 50 miles.