UPDATE 10, 2:08 pm August 4: The death toll now stands at 391.

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UPDATE 9, 11:09 am August 4: A new update puts the death toll at 381.

By individual area, the fatalities are as follows: Zhaotong reports 302 fatalities, Zhaoyang District reports one fatality, Qiaojia Country reports 66 fatalities, and Huize County in Qujing reports 12 fatalities.

The Chinese National Earthquake Department has categorized the response to this earthquake at category one.

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UPDATE 8, 1:39 am August 4: As of 12:30 am on August 4, the Propaganda Department of the City of Zhaotong has announced that a total of 367 people have died from the earthquake.

By individual area, the list of casualties are as follows: the Zhaoyang District of the city of Zhaoyang has reported one fatality; Ludian County has reported 296 fatalities with 1,591 injured; Qiaojia County has reported 60 fatalities; and Huize County has reported ten fatalities.

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UPDATE 7, 1:18 am August 4: The latest update by the official Weibo account of the City of Zhaotong  puts the death toll of the Ludian category 6.5 earthquake at 230.

221 fatalities are reported in the jurisdiction of Zhaotong, while nine deaths are reported in Huize County.

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UPDATE 6, 10:58 pm August 3: According to the National Ministry of Civil Affairs, a revised list of casualties resulting from the earthquake puts the total number of fatalities at 175 with 1402 injured and 181 missing.

By individual area, the casualties are listed as follows: Qiaojia, Zhaotong reports 49 dead, one missing, and 102 injured; Ludian, Zhaotong reports 122 dead, 180 missing, and 1300 injured; and Huize County, Qujing reports four dead.

A major aftershock has been reported in the same area as the first earthquake that occurred this afternoon. According to the National Center for Seisomology, an aftershock rated at 4.1 has struck Ludian County in the City of Zhaotong, Province of Yunnan.

The earthquake occurred at 10:28 this evening at at 27.1 latitude north and 103.3 longitude east, the same exact coordinates as the first earthquake, with the epicenter located 11,000 meters below the surface.

The first earthquake to strike Yunnan today is the first earthquake over 6.5 to occur in Yunnan since 2000. In a 200 km radius of Ludian, there have been 44 earthquakes over category 5 throughout recorded history.

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UPDATE 5, 9:41 pm August 3: As of 8:42 pm, the road from Qiaojia to Ludian has been cleared, while the road from Zhaotong to Ludian was cleared earlier on, both allowing for the unfettered transport of relief supplies and equipment into the disaster zone.

In the two hours since the tremors started, there have been a total of 107 aftershocks recorded.

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UPDATE 4, 8:42 pm August 3: A comprehensive tally of fatalities from all areas affected by the earthquake now stands at 150.

As of 8 pm, the Ludian People’s government has verified that there are now over 120 fatalities in its jurisdiction.

In neighboring areas, 26 fatalities have been reported in Qiaojia County with another four fatalities in Huize County.

Additionally, the local government of Ludian has announced that 180 people are missing in its jurisdiction with a total of 1,300 people injured. As well, it reports that due to the earthquake there are 12,000 collapsed buildings with a total 30,000 people affected by the disaster.

Transportation routes, electricity, communications to the disaster area have all been cut off.

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UPDATE 3, 8:17 pm August 3: CCTV is now reporting fatalities from the earthquake have risen to 34 for the areas including Huodehong Township in Ludian, Qiaojia County, and Huize County in Qujing.

Five people are currently reported missing with over a hundred people injured.

Rain is forecast for the next three days for the disaster zone with heavy rain scheduled from August 4 to 5. Authorities say the weather will hamper rescue efforts.

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UPDATE 2, 7:35 pm August 3: According to CCTV, the Qiaojia local government has verified that there are currently 26 dead and 79 injured resulting from the earthquake at the current time.

A girl is said to still be trapped in debris at the Shaba Elementary School in Shaba.

The City of Zhaoqing has announced it is now taking level 3 earthquake emergency procedures while the Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau has announced it is sending 2000 tents, 500 towels, 3000 folding beds, 3000 mattresses, 3000 pairs of cotton clothes to the disaster zone.

Rescue crews are now on the scene. Many buildings are reported to have collapsed from the earthquake.

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UPDATE 1, 7:22 pm August 3: The epicenter of the earthquake has been identified as Longtoushan Township, located 20 kilometers away from the Zhaotong urban center.

Roads leading to Longtoushan have been blocked by landslides of earth and rock.

At 6:07 pm, emergency crews were reported to be only 40km away, and said to arrive at the disaster zone within one hour. Furthermore, the 14th army battalion stationed in Yunnan has been mobilized.

Published pictures of the earthquake zone show an unspecified number of casualties along with wide-spread damage to buildings in the area.

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At 4:30pm on August 3, a category 6.5 earthquake struck Yunnan

Province at Ludian County in the municipal zone of the City of Zhaotong, reports Sina News.

The earthquake was so strong that it could be felt throughout Yunnan and in neighboring Sichuan Province. Netizens reported feeling the tremors in the cities of Kunming, Chengdu, Leshan and Chongqing.

The epicenter of the quake was recorded at 12,000 meters below the surface.

We will have further updates on this developing story.

Photos: Yunnan Fire Department (2), China Daily (2, 3, 4), Shenzhen Evening Report, People’s Daily (2, 3, 4, 5), Foshan Daily, CCTV News, Beijing Youth Daily