France on Monday expressed its deepest condolences and solidarity for the victims of the major earthquake in China’s Yunnan Province.

"We learned with deep emotion of the death of several hundred people," said Vincent Floreani, deputy spokesman of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to media reports, at least 398 have been killed after a powerful earthquake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, on Sunday struck 23 km south-west of Ludian district at a relatively shallow depth of 12 km.