KUNMING, September 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 43 people have been killed and 150 others injured as of 3:50 p.m. in an earthquake that jolted southwest China's Yunnan and Guizhou provinces Friday, local civil affairs authorities said.

Staff of the Yiliang county government of Yunnan province are evaculated to vacant places after an earthquake jolted the county on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit the border area of Yiliang county of Yunnan and Weining county of Guizhou at 11:19 a.m. and the depth of its epicenter was about 14 km at 27.5 degrees north latitude and 104.0 degrees east longitude.

Among the 43 victims, 42 were from Yiliang as the epicenter was just about 15 km from Yiliang's county seat. The other one was from Zhaoyang district of Zhaotong city, said an official with the provincial civil affairs department.

The quake has disrupted the lives of over 700,000 people in Yiliang and Daguan counties as well as Zhaoyang district, which are all under the administration of Zhaotong.

So far, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated, said the official, citing a report from Zhaotong's civil affairs bureau.

Preliminary investigation showed that more than 20,000 houses were damaged or had collapsed in the quake, according to the official.

As of 1 p.m., the quake-prone area had been stricken by 16 aftershocks, with the strongest one measuring at magnitude-5.6, according to the provincial seismological bureau.

The province has already sent work teams to the quake-hit area and the civil affairs department is transporting thousands of tents, quilts and coats to the area.

So far, no casualties have been reported in Guizhou Province, but the quake has also damaged or even toppled homes in Weining county, said Chen Bo, head of the county government.