China earthquake: 21 dead as Sichuan rocked by powerful 6.8-magnitude tremor

USGS says over a million people likely experienced significant tremors in southwestern province

Fallen rocks are seen on a road near Lengqi Town in Luding County, Sichuan after a strong earthquake on 5 September (AP)

At least 21 people have died after an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Monday, state television reported.

The earthquake hit at 12.52pm local time, and the United States Geological Survey [USGS] estimates that over a million residents experienced the strong tremors in the quake’s aftermath.

The USGS said that the epicentre of the quake was in Luding county at a depth of 16km, about 180km south-west of Sichuan’s capital Chengdu.