Chinese authorities have rushed to reach victims of a strong earthquake that killed at least 19 people.
Photo from video
The 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province late on Tuesday, tearing cracks in highways, loosing rockslides, damaging structures and sending panicked residents and tourists fleeing into the open.
Thousands of people, including many visitors to a popular national park near the epicentre, remained outside overnight, according to reports, and were being evacuated to safety Wednesday as nerves were kept on edge by more than 1 000 aftershocks that rippled across the region.
No reports of serious damage or large-scale casualties have emerged yet but aid organisations have warned that it will take time before a clear picture comes into focus due to the area's difficult geography.
The quake killed at least 19 people and injured 24 740 seriously, the local government of Aba prefecture has said.
Images from the quake zone show cars and buses tossed into ravines or crushed by giant boulders apparently jolted loose from surrounding hills, while uniformed paramilitary police with shovels have been pictured digging through rubble for victims.
Official Xinhua news agency says at least five deaths occurred in Jiuzhaigou, a picturesque national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its karst rock formations, waterfalls and lakes.
More than 34 000 people were visiting the popular tourist area at the time of the quake and 31 500 tourists have been moved to safety.
Another sparsely populated part of China was also rocked by a strong quake Wednesday morning.
A 6.3-magnitude tremor shook northwestern Xinjiang region, more than 2 000 kilometres from Sichuan, according to the USGS, followed by aftershocks of 5.2 and 5.3 magnitude.
At least three people were injured there when their home collapsed.
President Xi Jinping has meanwhile called for "all-out efforts to rapidly organise relief work and rescue the injured" in the Sichuan quake.
Provincial fire authorities say at least 1 250 soldiers had been deployed to Jiuzhaigou, along with hundreds of vehicles, 30 sniffer dogs and 55 devices used to detect life underneath rubble.
