A string of five earthquakes -- including one with a magnitude of 6.0 -- shook China's southwestern Sichuan province on Monday, leaving at least two people dead, state media said.
Rescuers were rushing to affected areas in heavy rain near the epicentre of the largest quake, which was located outside the city of Yibin, the Xinhua news agency reported.
That quake occurred at about 10:55 pm (1455 GMT) at a depth of 16 kilometres (10 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The aftershocks, the largest of which had a magnitude of 5.1, took place in the following 40 minutes.
At least two people were killed and 19 others injured, Xinhua said, citing local authorities. Several people remained trapped in the rubble.
A hotel close to the epicentre collapsed, but it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from that incident, the agency said. Cracks appeared in several area highways.
Videos circulating on social media showed chandeliers and other light fixtures swaying from the shaking.
AFP was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the footage.
Earthquakes regularly strike Sichuan, where a powerful 7.9-magnitude quake left 87,000 people dead or missing in 2008.
In February, three earthquakes hit Rongxian county in the province, killing two people and injuring 12 others -- casualties that residents blamed on fracking.
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