Major earthquake jolts China: Powerful quake measuring 6.8 rattles Sichuan province

A powerful earthquake of 6.8-magnitude rattled Luding County in southwest China's quake-prone Sichuan province on Monday, officials said.

However, there was no immediate report of any casualties or damage.

The epicentre of the quake, which occurred at 12:25 pm local time, was monitored at 29.59 degrees north latitude and 102.08 degrees east longitude at a depth of 16 km, China Earthquake Networks Centre was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The epicentre is 39 km away from the county seat of Luding and there are several villages within the 5-km range around the epicentre.

The tremor was felt in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, which is 226 km away from the epicentre. Photos and videos posted on Chinese social media showed buildings in Chengdu shaking.

Details of damage, if any, are awaited.

Sichuan province is located adjacent to Tibet.

The Tibetan plateau is known to be prone to strong earthquakes as it sits right over the place where the tectonic Eurasian and Indian plates meet, often colliding with huge force.

The Sichuan province suffered China's deadliest 7.9-magnitude earthquake in 2008 in which nearly 90,000 people were killed.

In June, at least four people were killed and 14 others injured when a powerful earthquake of 6.1-magnitude struck Ya'an city of Sichuan province. The quake also affected over 13,000 people, damaged five hydropower stations and caused extensive damage to many houses.