A 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Yunnan Province Thursday and caused injury to at least three people, an official with the provincial seismological bureau said.

As of 2:50 p.m., the earthquake had injured three people in Yuanmou county and toppled many houses, the official, Gu Yishan, said.

The official added that rescue work is ongoing.

The earthquake struck at 12:56 p.m. in the juncture area between Lufeng and Yuanmou counties. Its epicenter was located at 25.4 degrees north latitude and 101.9 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 16 km, according to China Earthquake Administration.

Earthquakes measuring five degrees or above on the Richter scale frequently hit the region in history, said Gu.