At least 21 people were killed when a strong earthquake struck southwestern China on Monday, state media reported, as violent tremors in a remote region damaged homes and left some areas without electricity.

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck a mountainous area in Sichuan province after midday on Monday, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said. The epicentre was located at the town of Luding at a depth of 16km, the centre said, about 180km southwest of Sichuan's capital Chengdu.

Fourteen people lost their lives in Sichuan's Shimian county and seven died in nearby Luding county, while more than 30 were injured, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Hundreds of rescue workers were dispatched to the epicentre, CCTV reported, alongside footage of firefighters in orange jumpsuits boarding trucks and navigating a highway littered with rocks and other debris. The Sichuan seismological authority said more than 1,000 soldiers had been sent to help rescue workers.

Authorities also sent thousands of tents, blankets and foldable beds to the affected areas, according to the broadcaster.

Other state media photos showed officials in military fatigues heaving shovels and other equipment along a highway – all while wearing face masks as a Covid precaution.

President Xi Jinping called for local authorities to "make saving lives the first priority, go all out to rescue people in disaster-stricken areas, and minimise loss of life", according to CCTV.

In Luding, the quake was so strong it was hard for some people to remain standing while cracks appeared on some houses, according to state media China News Service.

People from as far away as Changsha and Xian in central China also said they had felt the quake in Sichuan.

"I felt it quite strongly," a Chengdu resident surnamed Chen said.

"Some of my neighbours on the ground floor said they felt it very clearly."

Video on social media showed chandeliers, fish tanks and other household objects swaying violently during the earthquake.

Minutes later, a second quake with a magnitude of 4.2 struck the city of Yaan near Luding, according to the centre.

In 2013, Yaan was hit by a strong earthquake, killing more than 100 people and injuring thousands.

Chengdu, a city of about 21 million people, on Sunday extended a lockdown imposed to curb a Covid outbreak.

The region has also suffered a summer of extreme weather, with a record-breaking heat wave noticeably drying rivers in Chongqing. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2022-09-05 HKT 21:05