Groups of medical experts were dispatched to Yunnan and Qinghai on Saturday after the two Chinese provinces were hit by strong earthquakes since Friday night, the National Health Commission said.

China's Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Emergency Management on Saturday allocated 10 million yuan (about 1.5 million U.S. dollars) of natural disaster relief funds to southwest China's Yunnan Province and northwest China's Qinghai Province, respectively, after strong earthquakes hit on Friday and Saturday.

China's Ministry of Transport on Saturday launched a Level-II emergency response, the second highest of the four-tier system of emergency responses, after a series of earthquakes rattled southwest China's Yunnan Province and northwestern province of Qinghai.

Some sections of the highways near the quake-hit areas in Yunnan were damaged by falling rocks, causing traffic disruptions, while several bridges near the affected region in Qinghai collapsed, the ministry said.

The ministry is working with local transport authorities on damage checks and road repairs, it said.

The National Meteorological Center said the affected areas in Yunnan will mostly see sunny and cloudy weather on Saturday and Sunday, and warned potential showers starting Monday.

Rescuers have set up disaster relief tents at temporary shelters within schools in quake-hit areas of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The magnitude-6.4 earthquake jolted Yunnan's Yangbi County at a depth of eight kilometers with 166 aftershocks as of 02:00 Saturday.

From 20:56 on Friday to 7:00 on Saturday, a total of 398 quakes were recorded in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, according to local officials.  

Thirteen of them were recorded at a magnitude above 4.0, with the largest one at a magnitude of 6.4. 

Three people – two in Yangbi, one in Yongping – were confirmed dead in the quakes and 28 were injured. 

A total of 192 houses collapsed and 13,090 were damaged.

Strong earthquakes in Dali in southwest China's Yunnan Province have killed two people in Yangbi County and one in Yongping County, according to initial reports. And a total of 27 people were injured. Rescue efforts are underway.

Local government in northwest China's Qinghai Province has initiated a "Level II" emergency contingency plan after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake jolted its Maduo County of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. 

The tremor was felt strongly by residents in the provincial capital city of Xining, which is 385 kilometers away from the county seat of Maduo.

So far there have been no reports of casualties and housing collapses, and no impact to the power grid or communication networks, local authorities stated.

Sections of highways and bridges have collapsed in the quake-hit area, blocking the passage of vehicles, according to Xinhua.

Strong earthquakes in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, have killed two people in Yangbi and one in Yongping, according to initial reports. 

A total of 27 people were injured.

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in southwest China's Yunnan province was followed by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Qinghai, China.

As of 1:50am local time, one person has been reported dead, 18 people slightly injured and 3 people injured seriously following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in southwest China's Yunnan province.

A total of 12,882 houses were also damaged, according to Xinhua.  

Authorities say road collapses and landslides from the Yunnan quake has cut some transportation lines into the epicenter, but electricity, telephone, and internet are still working.

Reports of casualties and damage are still being verified, and search and rescue teams have been mobilized.

Later, at 2:04 a.m. local time, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Qinghai, China.

The local government has sent special team of 16 people to the earthquake area in Qinghai for emergency response work.

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As of 10:55 pm local time on May 21, one person was killed and three others were buried in debris, following the 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the Yunnan Earthquake Bureau said.

Other reports of casualties and damage are being verified.

A team of 15 firefighters in three vehicles have been deployed to the quake's epicenter by the Yangbi fire rescue brigade with a search and rescue plan already underway.

Meanwhile, a further 170 rescuers, nine search and rescue dogs and 35 vehicles have been mobilized for the rescue mission.

Authorities say road collapses and landslides from the earthquake has cut some transportation lines into the epicenter, but electricity, telephone and internet are still working. Several buildings have collapsed, causing casualties.

Rescuers from nearby Chuxiong, Yuxi, Baoshan, Nujiang, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna are also on the way to the epicenter.

A series of earthquakes, the strongest with a magnitude of 6.4, jolted Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday night, according to China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The magnitude-6.4 quake hit with a depth of 8 kilometers at 9:48 p.m., followed by another magnitude-5.0 quake with the same depth at 9:55 p.m.

(Yang Jinghao also contributed to the story.)

A series of earthquakes, the strongest with a magnitude of 6.4, jolted Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday night, according to China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The magnitude-6.4 quake hit with a depth of 8 kilometers at 9:48 p.m., followed by another magnitude-5.0 quake with the same depth at 21:55.

A magnitude-5.6 quake hit the location with a depth of 10 km at 9:21 p.m..