SW China quake toll rises sharply to 589  

云南省鲁甸县6.5级地震已造成589人死亡

Photo taken on Aug 5 shows rescuers looking for survivers at Longtoushan township, Ludian county in Zhaotong city, southwest China's Yunnan province. (CNS Photo)

Another 179 people have been confirmed dead almost three days after a powerful earthquake devastated southwest China, bringing the overall toll to 589, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Nine people are still missing, according to the latest figures from the civil affairs department of Yunnan, the province which was hit by the 6.5-magnitude tremor on Sunday.

Officials with the local quake relief headquarters attributed the sharp toll rise to delayed confirmation due to the inaccessibility and remoteness of many quake-hit villages in the mountainous region.

Among the reported deaths, 504 were in the worst-hit Ludian County and 72 in Qiaojia County.

The official tally showed that in addition to the deaths, there were 2,401 people injured in the 6.5-magnitude quake.

The earthquake, the strongest to strike the area in 14 years, occurred at 4:30 pm Sunday (Beijing Time) with its epicenter in Longtoushan township, Ludian county in Zhaotong city, affecting 1.08 million people in the cities of Zhaotong and Qujing.

The missing have all been reported in Qiaojia.

(Updated at 14:30)