DHAKA: A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday morning in southwestern China, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Officials reported one death and three people injured as emergency teams began to respond, state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

The quake -- with a depth of 10 kilometers -- hit in remote areas near the border of the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, according to the USGS.

Roads are reportedly blocked in some villages by boulders rolling down mountains, and some villagers have been taken to hospitals, Xinhua said.

The Civil Affairs Ministry in Yunnan province was sending tents and clothing, Xinhua said.

The epicenter was near Benzilan Township, the USGS reported.

"We are heading to Benzilan," Liao Wencai, vice secretary of the Deqen County Committee of the Communist Party of China, told Xinhua. "The telecommunication there has been cut off, and many residents cannot be reached by mobile phone."

On Wednesday, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit the same region.

Source: CNN
BDST: 1014 HRS, AUG 31, 2013
RS/BSK