Chinese broadcaster CCTV quoted local authorities in reporting that an earthquake that struck China's southwest Sichuan province on Monday resulted in at least 46 deaths, 16 missing.
Around noon, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake with a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) was detected southwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
According to CCTV, preliminary inspections revealed that certain towns in Sichuan province had suffered "serious damage to housing due to mountain landslides" and that telecommunication connections had been cut off in some places.
USGS reported that the earthquake's epicenter was about 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Kangding, a city of around 100,000 people.
It is believed that over a million residents in the nearby areas experienced mild vibrations as a result of the quake.
According to the State Council of China, China activated a Level 3 emergency reaction and dispatched rescue teams to Luding County, near the epicenter. According to CGTN, emergency workers are assisting in the clearing of roads that have been obstructed by landslides caused by the earthquake.
Residents in Chengdu, the province capital, and Chongqing, a neighboring megacity, told AFP that tremors had rocked buildings and moved furniture.
"I felt it quite strongly," a Chengdu resident surnamed Chen said. "Some of my neighbors on the ground floor said they felt it very clearly."
A Chongqing resident reported that the earthquake was "pretty noticeable" and that it moved the furniture and lights in his fifth-floor apartment.
CGTN said more than 500 rescue workers have been dispatched to the epicenter.
Numerous aftershocks were reported by state media in nearby areas.
The USGS reports that less than an hour after the main earthquake, a lesser magnitude 4.6 tremor struck eastern Tibet.
Before the massive earthquake, Sichuan, a province with 84 million inhabitants, was already having a particularly difficult summer. The province has experienced drought and some of the worst heatwaves in the past 60 years over the past two months.
Due to the Langmenshan Fault, which runs through the mountains of Sichuan, the area is earthquake-prone.
A 7.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked Sichuan in 2008 was one of the country's most catastrophic. Almost 90,000 people were killed, and earthquakes were felt in locations 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) away.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Sichuan last year, killing three people and wounding 60, according to state media at the time.
