It is reported that rescue work is underway following the magnitude 6.0 earthquake. It struck at 4:33 a.m. in Luxian country at a depth of 10 kilometers, the state broadcaster CCTV said. It also added that 60 people were injured, three seriously and 35 houses had collapsed.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the preliminary magnitude of the earthquake at 5.4 but the China Earthquake Networks Centre measured it at magnitude 6.0. Both said this tremor was at a shallow depth of 10km (6 miles).

Live footages from Luxian by state broadcaster CCTV showed workers climbing up ladders in pouring rain to remove hazardous debris hanging off buildings, including half-broken panes of glass. And another video from the Schuan Daily showed students evacuating their dormitories in the dark, clutching umbrellas and wearing backpacks.

However, authorities downplayed the immediate threat of a larger aftershock. “It is unlikely there will be a larger earthquake in the area in the near future, but aftershocks will continue for some time,” Du Bin, deputy chief of the Sichuan Earthquake Administration, told reporters. The USGS said that significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.

Multiple power lines had been disrupted and 62,000 households were hit by power cuts after the earthquake, the local government in Sichuan said. In addition, the government said traffic on highways passing through the area has been rerouted to make way for emergency vehicles and to avoid damaged roads. China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially in its mountainous western and south western regions.