A 5.9-magnitude earthquake has struck China's southwest region this morning, injuring twenty-nine people and putting five of the injured in critical condition.

The Yingjiang country felt the strong tremors and residents ran to open areas when the quake shook the area near the China-Myanmar border at 9:20 am today. Based on a China Earthquake Networks Centre report cited by South China Morning Post, this was the second earthquake that struck the region in one week.

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The epicenter of the quake was 27 kilometers north of Pingyuan, Yunnan, and 65 kilometers southeast from Myitkyina, Myanmar, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake was considered shallow at only 10 kilometers.

The USGS explained that shallow earthquakes usually inflict more damage compared to more powerful and deeper ones.

According to citizens posting on Weibo, the tremors lasted six to eight seconds. One photo showed people standing outside, with the caption saying they had rushed out of an eight-storey structure when the shaking began.

The USGS, which gave the earthquake a grade of seven on the "Shakemap" scale, said it would have been very strong and is expected to result in moderate damage to property. The state-run Xinhua news agency put the quake's magnitude at 6.1, citing Chinese earthquake authorities.

Xinhua added that police have already been deployed to Kachang, an area near the epicenter. They have also sent more than 50 relief workers to survey and evaluate the effects of the earthquake.

Southwest China is an earthquake-prone region. In May 2008, a quake with an 8.0 magnitude struck the adjacent Sichuan province, leaving thousands dead and the place in ruins.

Eighty people died in September 2012 after twin 5.6-magnitude quakes rocked the Yunnan and Guizhou border area. The two earthquakes also injured 820 people and left 201,000 homeless.

After one month, an earthquake hit the area and was followed by persistent rains. Eighteen children died when a landslide buried their school.

Just a week ago, another quake with a magnitude of 5.6 and depth of 24 kilometers rocked the China-Myanmar border, geologists said.

TagsChina earthquake