The earthquake that struck North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the weekend has killed at least three people and left thousands of others homeless.

Bairin Left Banner (county) and Ar Horqin Banner, under the administration of Chifeng in the region, were the most seriously hit by the quake that measured 5.9 on the Richter scale.

It struck at 6:58 pm on Saturday with the epicentre about 500 kilometres northeast of Beijing.

Neighbouring Bairin Right Banner and Ongnuid Banner also reported injuries and the collapse of homes.

The quake has also injured more than 1,000 people, including 54 who have been seriously hurt, a Ministry of Civil Affairs official said yesterday.

The ministry estimated that the quake has caused 1.38 billion yuan (US$168 million) in direct econmic losses.

More than 7,900 homes have been demolished and another 83,000 were damaged in the quake area. It also cut power and caused a landslide.

The ministry has sent 5,000 tents to the disaster area. And local civil affairs departments also sent 1,500 quilts and warm clothing to the area.

A special team sent by the China Seismological Bureau arrived in Chifeng yesterday morning to inspect the area and further assess the damage, a bureau spokesman said.

Residents in some regions of Beijing, Tianjin and Northeast China's Liaoning Province also felt the earthquake.

It was the most serious earthquake to hit Chifeng city in 700 years.

The Chifeng Seismological Network reported over 70 aftershocks with the most serious coming yesterday, which measured 4.7 on the Richter scale.

The local meteorological department forecast heavy rain for Ar Horqin Banner last night.

Seismological bureau officials have predicted that there will be more earthquakes in China this year compared with 2002.

The region around Beijing, including Hebei and Inner Mongolia, is being closely monitored by seismological authorities.

More than 100 million yuan (US$12 million) was spent on improving the monitoring network in the area from 1996 to 2000, they said.

(HK Edition 08/18/2003 page1)