Sichuan, Yunnan hit by earthquake

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan and Yunnan provinces Saturday, killing 27 people, destroying over 180,000 homes and affecting more than 800,000 people, Reuters reported. The quake’s epicenter was about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Panzhihua in Sichuan, near the Yunnan border, and was about 6 miles (9.6km) deep, according to the US Geological Survey, which measured the temblor at 5.7 on the Richter scale. Government-led disaster relief efforts to the area are under way. In a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, PZH Steel, the listed unit of Panzhihua Steel Group, said that it would need to assess the extent of the damage done to the company’s operations by the quake.