Nine injured, 30,000 evacuated in Chinese quake

BEIJING, December 26 (RIA Novosti) - Nine people were injured on Friday when a magnitude 4.9 earthquake hit southern China, causing 30,000 inhabitants to be evacuated, the Sina news website reported.

The local seismological center said there were two tremors early Friday morning in an area of Hunan province near the border with Myanmar.

The city of Ruili and surrounding villages were the hardest hit, with 100,000 people affected. More than 30,000 residents have been evacuated from homes that suffered damage in the earthquake.

Poorly constructed buildings are a danger in quake-prone areas of China. More than 70,000 people died when a magnitude 8 tremor struck Sichuan province in May, destroying 14,000 schools, many of which collapsed despite neighboring buildings standing firm.