KUNMING, Oct. 8 -- At least one person died and 38 others were injured after a 6.6-magnitude quake jolted a county in southwest China's Yunnan Province Tuesday night, said local government.

Eight of the injured are critical, said Yao Fucheng, an official with the government of the Jinggu Dai and Yi Autonomous County.

STRONG QUAKE, AGAIN

The quake at 9:49 p.m. (Beijing Time), with a focal depth of five kilometers, jolted Jinggu county, which, with a population of 290,000 people, is about 460 kilometers southwest of Kunming, the provincial capital.

It's the second strong quake to hit the province in about two months. A 6.5-magnitude quake struck the county of Ludian on Aug. 3, killing at least 615 people.

Strong tremor was felt on Tuesday night across the province, which is prone to earthquake disasters, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said.

The quake zone has experienced constant aftershocks with the strongest one measuring 4.2 magnitude. Power supply was cut in some towns, but traffic to the quake zone remains open.

The CENC initiated a Class-II emergency response to the quake, and classified the quake as a major earthquake disaster.

The epicenter is located in the "dense-populated but underdeveloped" area, which is home to different ethnic groups. But the buildings are mostly in wooden structure, which is fairly quake-proof, said a spokesperson with the provincial seismological bureau.

"Telecommunication to the epicenter area is not so good. We are investigating the casualties," said the spokesperson.

So far, the casualties are mostly reported from the Yongping town, which has a population of some 54,000 people and is only five kilometers away from the epicenter.

"Many houses collapsed and we are investigating the casualties. The aftershocks seem non-stopping," an official with the town's Mangfei village told Xinhua.

The telecommunication service is occasionally disrupted, he confirmed.

In the town of Weiyuan, the county seat of Jinggu, terrified residents are staying in the streets.

"The whole building was shaking terribly with loud cracking sound. Plates fell off in the kitchen," Li Anqin, a local resident told Xinhua via telephone.

Li's apartment is on the ground floor. Pictures posted online show cracks on walls of some buildings in Weiyuan.

"I haven't seen any building around collapsed yet," she added.

In the neighboring city of Lincang, almost 4,700 houses were damaged.

QUICK RESPONSE

Yunnan has initiated the Class-I emergency response, the highest. In race to save more lives, more than 3,200 troops have been dispatched to the quake zone as of 1 a.m. Wednesday.

They were joined by more than 600 professional rescuers and 13 sniffer dogs.

The first batch of more than 200 rescuers have arrived at the quake zone before midnight. They have brought 12 injured to safe places and helped evacuate more than 100 local residents.

"We were extremely worried of the people on the way to Yongping because we came across falling rocks and small-scale landslides from time to time," said Chen Xianhe, head of the rescue team.

"When we finally arrived at Yongping, we saw many locals standing in the streets, some with flashlights in hand. It's not like last time in Ludian, there are no massive collapse of buildings. It's such a relief," said Chen.

Chen and his colleagues have sent some wounded to hospital and rushed to the village called Tianbao, which is said to be severely damaged.

Civil affairs authorities are sending relief supplies, including tents, quilts, coats and plastic cloth for make-shift shelters.

The Red Cross Society of China has dispatched quilts and tents to the affected areas. It also calls for donations to the quake victims.

A task force led by the province's governor Li Jiheng has flown to the quake-affected areas to supervise the rescue operation.

Weather forecast shows it will be clear in the quake zone on Wednesday, but rains are forecast for Thursday night, which may hamper rescue and relief work, according to the China Meteorological Administration.