Earlier in the day, the Chinese Seismological Center said that tremors were registered in Jiuzhaigou district of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The epicenter of the 7.0-mangnitude earthquake was located at the depth of 8 kilometers (some 5 miles).
"As of now, the earthquake has killed four people and injured over 30. Armed forces and paramilitary forces are ready to join the disaster relief efforts in Jiuzhaigou," the center said in a post on its official Weibo account.
According to the official Weibo account of Firefighting Department under China's Ministry Public Security, over 610 firefighters have been dispatched to the affected areas.
Local media reported earlier in the day that power supply had been cut off in Jiuzhaigou area after the earthquake, and phone communications were also interrupted.
Pictures and video footage circulated on Chinese social media showed structural damage of some buildings and roads covered in debris and rocks.
The district of Jiuzhaigou is a popular destination for tourists. Over 38,000 tourists visited the area on Tuesday, up 16.46 percent from the same day a year ago, the Sichuan Daily newspaper reported citing the management office of the touristic area.
