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People walk among debris after an earthquake hit Ludian county, Yunnan province August 3, 2014. Reuters
The death toll from a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit south-western China on Sunday climbed to 398 people, state media reported on Monday.
China said it had dispatched thousands of armed police, soldiers and fire-fighters to the scene.
Premier Li Keqiang visited the town on Monday, Xinhua news agency said, urging a quick rescue for those missing and trapped by debris.
The quake, in a remote part of Yunnan province, caused thousands of buildings, including schools to collapse, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Liu Jiali (C) places the body of his child onto a sheet after an earthquake killed his wife and two children in Longtoushan township of Ludian county, Yunnan province August 4, 2014. Reuters
Rescuers and residents search for survivors among debris of collapsed buildings after an earthquake hit Longtoushan township of Ludian county, Yunnan province August 4, 2014. Reuters
The epicentre of the quake was Longtoushan town in the province’s mountainous Ludian county.
Earthquakes frequently strike in the region.
A quake in Sichuan province, also in the southwest, in 2008 killed almost 70,000 people.
The earthquake was the most severe in the region in a century, Xinhua said.
Source: Bd news24