More than 2,000 army soldiers, armed police and militia reserves were dispatched amid rainstorms to provide relief for 14 townships seriously hit by an earthquake in southwest China's Yunnan Province Tuesday morning.

The first group from the People's Liberation Army reached the quake-stricken areas in Dayao County at 2 a.m. Tuesday to rescue those injured inside collapsed buildings and to set up makeshift tents for those victims.

By press time, 11 people had been killed, but officials fear the figure may rise as rescue efforts continue.

To date, the earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale has halted the communications of nine villages and cut off 41 village roads connecting to the outside world.

The earthquake struck Dayao County, 180 kilometers from the provincial capital of Kunming, at 11:16 p.m. (Beijing Time) and was felt in Kunming, according to local sources.

The epicenter was located at Tanhua Town at 26 degrees north latitude and 101.2 degrees east longitude, according to seismologists.

The provincial government has also sent two teams of officials and experts to assess the situation and help organize rescue work.

A number of buildings and residential houses in Dayao County collapsed and reinforcement rescue workers are still on the way.

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