Two people have been rescued from rubble after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the city of Baoshan in southwestern mainland near midnight on Tuesday, Beijing News reported.

No casualties were reported but residents near the epicentre in Yunnan province had been evacuated from their homes, the newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Railway traffic in the area had resumed after suspension by the operator for safety checks following the earthquake.

Zhang Yunyi, deputy mayor of Baoshan, told a press conference on Wednesday morning that the earthquake caused varying degrees of damage to residential houses, water, electricity, traffic, communication and other infrastructure in and around the epicentre.

More than 2,400 people have been sent to the disaster area to carry out search and rescue operations, Zhang added. (Reuters/Xinhua)