A series of earthquakes in southwestern China on Friday killed at least five people and damaged more than 20,000 houses, the state run news agency Xinhua reported.

The four quakes struck near the border of the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou between 11:19 a.m. and 1:12 p.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Their magnitudes ranged between 4.8 and 5.6, it said.

The first quake took place at the border area of Yiliang County in Yunnan and Weining County in Guizhou, Xinua reported. The news agency cited unidentified "government sources" for the initial death toll and damage.

All four quakes hit at a depth of about 10 kilometers, the USGS said.