Chinese state media say a series of earthquakes in southwestern China has killed at least 43 people and injured scores of others.

The official Xinhua news agency says the 5.7-magnitude quake and several subsequent tremors hit Yunnan and Guizhou provinces Friday, damaging about 40,000 homes in the area. At least 16 aftershocks have been reported.

Television footage showed hundreds of people gathered on streets strewn with fallen bricks and rocks in the town of Yiliang, which appears to have been the worst hit. Officials said emergency aid is being sent to Yunnan, where more than 100,000 people have been evacuated.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the largest quake at 5.6-magnitude and said it struck at a depth of 10 kilometers.