Earthquakes in Yao'an County in southwest China's Yunnan Province have killed four people, according to the latest information from the China Seismological Bureau (CSB).

Twenty-nine of the injured are in serious condition, and 371 other people were slightly hurt.

About 10,000 houses were seriously damaged or collapsed, most of them wood and brick structures.

A rescue team led by Vice Governor Li Hanbo has been sent to the scene to facilitate rescue efforts, along with soldiers stationed in Yunnan and CSB officials and experts.

At present, medical units on the scene have sufficient supplies, and the injured are receiving prompt treatment, one local source said.

The earthquakes, measuring 5.9 and 6.5 on the Richter scale, rocked Yao'an County of the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture at 06:09 and 07:37 Saturday. Their epicenter was located at 25.5 degreesnorth latitude and 101.1 degrees east longitude.

The tremors were felt in Panzhihua in neighboring Sichuan Province and in Yuxi, Dali, and Kunming in Yunnan.

Yunnan is prone to earthquakes and in the past 50 years it was hit by 11 earthquakes measuring over 6 on the Richter scale. (Xinhua)