BEIJING: A 6.6-magnitude earthquake jolted the Jinghe County in northwest China's Xinjiang this morning, hours after a massive quake struck Jiuzhaigou tourist spot in Zhangzha town of Sichuan Province, claiming at least nine lives and injuring 164 others.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said the quake struck at 7:27 AM (local time) at a depth of 11 kilometeres, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The last night's quake in Sichuan struck at depth of 20 kilometres. At least 107 aftershocks had been recorded by 11 PM (local time), according to the CENC.
Jiuzhaigou, or Jiuzhai Valley, is a national park known for spectacular waterfalls and karst formations. More than 34,000 people visited the tourist attraction yesterday.
So far, 31,500 tourists have been relocated to safe places.
The local government has organised tourist coaches and private-owned vehicles to rush to the affected areas to help transport the stranded tourists.
Power, communication and water supply in the county seat have basically recovered.
Sichuan is a quake-prone region. In May 2008, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan and killed more than 80,000 people. In 2013, a 7.0-magnitude quake hit Lushan, in which 196 people were killed