DHAKA: An earthquake has struck southwestern China, killing at least 381 people in a remote mountainous area of Yunnan province, and causing some buildings, including a school, to collapse.

Some 1,881 people were injured Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the authorities.

The official Xinhua news agency said that the epicentre of Sunday's quake was in Longtoushan town in Yunnan's Ludian county.

Communications have been seriously affected and rescuers are rushing to the scene, the report said.

Al Jazeera's Adrian Brown, reporting from Kunshan, China, said: "This quake has happened in a very very remote area of southwest China.

"The difficulty for rescuers is going to be the time it takes to reach this area."

Pictures posted online by state media showed troops stretchering people away, and bricks which had fallen off buildings damaging cars.

Source: Al-Jazeera

BDST: 0842 HRS, Aug 4, 2014