With more than 400 aftershocks, it caused over 40 deaths, the collapse of 10,000 homes and damage to other infrastructure in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan.

[3] The earthquake's epicenter was located at 26°12′N 101°54′E / 26.2°N 101.9°E / 26.2; 101.9,[9] in the Renhe District of Panzhihua, Sichuan, which is 50 km southeast of the city center.

A Ms  5.6 aftershock (5.5 Mw  according to USGS) struck the same location on August 31, 2008, at 16:31:09.6 CST (08:31 UTC),[13][14][15] causing at least two additional deaths.

[17] Although the quake-stricken area is relatively low in population, reported at 118/km2,[10] early casualties and property damage were significant.

[18][19] Within two hours, the CEA invoked its Level III emergency response protocol for disaster relief.