July 11, 2009 6.0 magnitude quake has nearly 22,000 camping in China Play video

(NECN/APTV) - China's state media said nearly 22,000 people were camping in tents in southwestern China after a magnitude-6.0 earthquake killed one and seriously injured 29.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday the quake victims sought shelter in some 3,000 tents in Yunnan province's Yao'an Country, the epicenter of Thursday's quake.

The report said officials miscalculated the number of people who left their homes because of confusion after the quake struck.

Cao Jianfang, deputy governor of Yunnan, said 250,000 - instead of the 400, 000 reported earlier - were displaced.

Yunnan Television showed displaced residents sleeping outdoors in makeshift beds made up of brightly coloured quilts.

Others packed into emergency tents, bundles of provisions and clothing in tow.

Often people leave even undamaged houses after earthquakes because they are afraid to sleep indoors while aftershocks continue to shake the area.

Piles of rubble from damaged houses made of brick and clay were scattered on the ground in the footage. At a hospital, nurses gave intravenous drips to the elderly.

Eight aftershocks have followed Thursday's quake, with the latest registering a 5.2-magnitude Friday evening, Xinhua said.

An official at Yao'an's disaster relief command center said late Friday that rescuers at the scene were still assessing the damage, but he did not expect the death toll to rise.

More collapsed

homes, however, may be discovered in the mountainous, sparsely populated area, he said. He hung up without giving his name or any more details.

So far, Xinhua said that about 18,000 homes have been destroyed and another 75,000 were damaged.

It said China's civil affairs ministry has ordered the immediate delivery of 5,000 tents and other relief materials.

More than 1,000 police and soldiers have been dispatched to the disaster zone, Xinhua said.

China allocated 38 million yuan (5.56 million (m) US dollars) to the quake- hit area.

Yunnan is a quake-prone, mountainous region that lies on China's southern border with Thailand and Myanmar.

It also borders Sichuan province, where a magnitude-7.9 quake last year left almost 90,000 people dead or missing.

In 1988, a 7.1-magnitude quake in Yunnan near Myanmar killed 930 people.

More than 15,000 people died after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in the province in 1970, though authorities at the time covered up information on casualties and damage amid the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.