Magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck southwest China

An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck southwest China’s Sichuan province on Thursday September 16th, as reported by state media. The quake killed at least three people and injured dozens while homes were collapsed.

The earthquake struck at 4:33 a.m. in Luxian county at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), the official Xinhua News Agency said. The epicenter was about 200 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Chengdu, the provincial capital.

Xinhua reported that collapsed walls and houses were reported near the epicenter, and that electricity had been cut in much of Jiaming town. Residents could be seen cleaning up.

Lai Jianrong, a Fuji resident, told Xinhua that she felt a mild tremor around 4 a.m. and ran out barefoot in her nightgown when the tremors became intense. "Some bricks fell off the wall and I didn't dare to go in again," the agency quoted her saying.

More than 3,200 people have been moved to 79 shelters, CCTV said.

State broadcaster CCTV said also that 60 people were injured, three seriously, and 35 houses had collapsed.

Western China is regularly hit by earthquakes. A magnitude-7.9 quake in May 2008 left nearly 90,000 people dead in Sichuan, many of them in collapsed schools and other poorly constructed buildings.

Rescue work was underway following the magnitude-6.0 earthquake.