China continued its massive effort to locate survivors on Monday after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the southwestern region of the country the previous day, killing 398 people and bringing down thousands of buildings.

The earthquake struck Ludian County in Yunnan province at 4:30 p.m. local time (8:30 GMT) yesterday and smaller aftershocks followed after. China's Earthquake Network Center (CENC) said it was a shallow earthquake at only 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) deep. The death toll will most likely go up in the next few days, WireUpdate relayed.

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The government of Ludian said 296 people died in the area, where most of the establishments collapsed easily during tremors. Around 12,000 houses were reduced to rubble and 30,000 sustained damages, but the number of people that could still be trapped underneath remains unknown.

According to China's Civil Affairs Ministry, the massive tremor damaged a many property in Qiaojia County and killed at least 60, with three reported as missing. Ten people died in the adjacent Huize County and another one was confirmed dead in Zhaoyang.

The overall death toll by early Monday reached 398, authorities said. The casualties stand at 1,801, BBC News reported.

President Xi Jinping told concerned authorities to exert maximum efforts to rescue people, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Premier Li Keqiang also told local authorities to do the same and provide food, clothes, temporary shelters, medical treatment, and clean water to the displaced survivors.

In an initial assessment, the United States Geological Survey put the strength of the quake at 6.1 and said it probably caused extensive damage to affected areas.

Meanwhile, both United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.S. conveyed their condolences to those who lost their loved ones to the tragedy. They also vowed to provide necessary assistance to the displaced and injured victims of the quake.

Establishments in China are very vulnerable to tremors, and light shaking usually inflict significant damage and injuries. In April last year, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern China, killing at least 193 people.

The earthquake on Sunday isby far the deadliest that struck China since April 2010. Back then, a 7.1 quake killed 2,698 people in the northwestern part of the country.

TagsLudian County, Earthquake Network Center, CENC, WireUpdate, Civil Affairs Ministry, Zhaoyang, Qiaojia County, Xinhua, Ban Ki Moon, UN, US