The FINANCIAL -- BEIJING, More than 285,000 people in southwestern China were affected on November 2 by an earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale that shook the province of Yunnan, Chinese media reported.

There are reports of injuries but no deaths. Around 200 residential buildings were destroyed leaving almost 800 people homeless. Another 6,000 buildings where about 30,000 people reside were damaged.

The quake also hit the agricultural sector, with total economic losses estimated at 30 million Yuan ($4.4 million).

China's most powerful earthquake in 30 years occurred on May 12, 2008, in the southwest province of Sichuan, killing at least 70,000 people and displacing 10 million. Another 18,000 people are still missing. Direct economic losses from the quake have exceeded $150 billion.

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