China quake death toll rises to 40

The death toll from the 6.1- magnitude quake that jolted southwest China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces rises to 40, as authorities stepped up relief and rescue operations.

The death toll from the 6.1- magnitude quake that jolted southwest China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces on Saturday rose to 40 on Monday, as authorities stepped up relief and rescue operations.

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Two more deaths were reported from Huili County on Monday.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs on Monday said that the quake had injured 675 people in the two provinces.

More than 392,000 houses collapsed or were destroyed and about 181,000 people were evacuated. A total of 941,000 people were affected, the ministry said.

The quake jolted Huili and Panzhihua, both in Sichuan, and autonomous prefectures of Chuxiong, Dali, Lijiang and Zhaotong cities, all in Yunnan Province. Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, was also hit, Xinhua reported.

Most of the fatalities were in Huili, Chuxiong and Panzhihua, which sit on the southern end of the fault line involved in the massive May 12 quake that left more than 69,000 people dead and nearly 18,000 missing.

More than 15,120 tents, 20,000 quilts and 15 million yuan (about USD 2.2 million) in aid have been allocated to the quake areas in Sichuan.

The Yunnan provincial government will set aside 30 million yuan for quake relief apart from tents and quilts, the Ministry said.