Authorities in southwest China's Yunnan Province have sent emergency crew and relief supplies to the area hit by a 5.1-magnitude earthquake Thursday as the number of injured people has risen to 11 from three.

The quake struck at 12:56 PM in the juncture area between Lufeng and Yuanmou counties. Its epicenter was located at 25.4 degrees north latitude and 101.9 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 16 km, according to the China Earthquake Administration.

The Yunnan Provincial Seismological Bureau immediately dispatched an emergency crew of 35 people to the quake zone, and they found lots of rural houses had been damaged severely, a bureau spokesman said.

"They are continuing their investigation into the casualties and losses," he said.

The provincial government planned to earmark 5 million yuan (US$735,294) as relief fund for the quake-stricken area, Cao Jianfang, vice governor of Yunnan, told an emergency meeting Thursday.

The Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Society and provincial civil affairs authorities have also dispatched emergency crew and sent relief supplies, including tents, quilts and cotton-padded clothes, to the quake zone.

"We must ensure that the disaster-stricken residents are properly accommodated and have adequate food, water and clothes," Cao said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2010)