One person died and as many as six others were left injured after two earthquakes hit southwestern China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The quakes hit the province at around 5pm local time, AFP reported citing China’s earthquake agency, which added that rescue efforts are currently underway.
Furthermore, houses were damaged and rail services were partially suspended following the earthquakes, The Associated Press reported citing authorities.
The Sichuan fire department said that more than 1,400 rescuers have been deployed in the region. The Southwest Railway Authority said some sections of track had been shut down, causing delays to passenger trains.
Citing the China Earthquake Networks Center, state news agency Xinhua reported that the epicentre was at a depth of 17 kilometres. The US Geological Survey said that the quake registered a magnitude of 5.9 and was more shallow, occurring at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles).
Last year in September, as many as three people were killed and dozens other injured after a shallow earthquake hit Sichuan province – a quake prone region, damaging tens of thousands of houses.
China’s deadliest earthquakes in recent years happened in 2008 at a magnitude of 7.9 that claimed the lives of nearly 90,000 people, including thousands of children, in Sichuan province.