A Real tremor before the footballing kind

Just days before David Beckham and the footballing superstars of Real Madrid arrive in China’s Yunnan province, a deadly earthquake has...

Just days before David Beckham and the footballing superstars of Real Madrid arrive in China’s Yunnan province, a deadly earthquake has rattled the area, damaging thousands of houses. At least three people were killed and 210 injured in the 6.2 richter scale quake that hit Dayao county late last night, just 180 kilometres from the Yunnan capital Kunming where the Spanish team will arrive Friday.

Real Madrid are to spend a week in Kunming training ahead of a money-spinning tour of Asia.

An official from Yunnan Hongta, the football club sponsoring the Real Madrid trip, said the quake would not affect Real’s plans. ‘‘As far as I know Real Madrid has not changed their plans. They will arrive Kunming the morning of July 25,’’ said the official surnamed Duan.

Story continues below this ad

The Xinhua News Agency and local seismological officials said the tremor was clearly felt in Kunming although there were no immediate reports of damage there.

‘‘Kunming definitely felt the quake. We don’t know if there is any damage or casualties yet,’’ a Yunnan provincial official said.

A Kunming municipal government official said there was no major damage that he knew of. ‘‘There has been no disaster in Kunming,’’ he said. In Dayao, some 14,115 houses were damaged, an official at the emergency and rescue section of the Yunnan Seismological Bureau said.