BEIJING - Two strong earthquakes shook the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Monday but there were no immediate reports of casualties in a part of the country frequently affected by strong tremors.
The first 5.9 quake was followed around 30 minutes later by another one at 5.2 magnitude, both with a depth of 10 km (six miles) and centred near Changning county, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Chinese state media said shaking was felt in major cities in the region, including in the Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu and the metropolis of Chongqing.
The China Earthquake Administration said there were several aftershocks.
Pictures posted by state media on their social media accounts showed cracks in some buildings and people rushing into the streets in some cities in Sichuan.
The ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily said there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
A huge quake in Sichuan in May 2008 killed almost 70,000 people.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard Editing by Mark Heinrich and Gareth Jones) ((ben.blanchard@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 6627 1201; Reuters Messaging: ben.blanchard.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
