Minor Earthquake Shakes Sichuan

A shallow 5.3 earthquake shook Sichuan Province on Saturday, less than a week after a larger quake in the same region killed 13 and left dozens injured.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the earthquake that occured at about 10.30pm at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.

It hit about 18 kilometres east of the town of Xunchang and 43 kilometres southeast of Yibin city, which has a population of some 250,000 people, USGS said.

An earthquake struck near Yibin on Monday, forcing more than 8,000 people to relocate as a large number of structures were damaged or collapsed.

State TV showed rescuers dragging survivors to safety from rubble, while cracks appeared in several roads and a major highway was closed.

Earthquakes regularly strike Sichuan, where a powerful 7.9-magnitude quake left 87,000 people dead or missing in 2008. (AFP)