Deadly Earthquake Shakes China

The death toll has risen to 19 after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Yingjiang County in southwest China's Yunnan Province around noon on Thursday.

At least 157 others were injured, with 33 in serious condition, the Yingjiang government said in a statement.

The county government updated the figures at 5:39 p.m. as officials continue to verify casualties.

This earthquake, the largest of more than 1,200 minor tremors over the last two months in the region, is believed to have caused serious damage and loss, said Liu Jie, a director with the earthquake forecast department in the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Many houses collapsed in the quake that hit the county near the border with Myanmar at 12:58 p.m. Beijing Time.

The tremor triggered a power outage but telecommunication service remained normal in Yingjiang, according to Wei Gang, head of the county government.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10 kilometers, was monitored at 24.7 degrees north latitude and 97.9 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Three aftershocks, measuring up to 4.7 degrees on the Richter Scale, jolted the county within 10 minutes of the first tremor.