At least 46 people were killed after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the central Chinese province of Sichuan.
The figure emerges from the latest death toll, reported by the state news agency Xinhua, after other media had previously reported 21 deaths.
According to the Chinese Center for Seismological Networks, the quake struck at 12.52 local time on Monday at a depth of 16 kilometers and had its epicenter in Luding County in Ganzi Prefecture, about 200 kilometers from the provincial capital Chengdu, where over 20 million people live.
Among the victims, 29 people died in Luding County, while the other 17 died in Shimian County, both in Sichuan, Xinhua reports.
So far,
more than 50,000 people have been temporarily relocated to Ganzi prefecture and Ya'an city.
Local authorities have reported that
communications with some villages in the area have been cut off
and that landslides and severe damage to homes and roads have been reported, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Although the epicenter was located 39 kilometers from the central area of Luding County, there are several affected villages within five kilometers of ground zero, Xinhua added.
The Ministry of Emergency Management raised the earthquake emergency response level to the second highest level and mobilized a task force in the area to assist with relief efforts.
In total, more than 6,500 people have already joined the rescue teams.
The quake was felt in Chengdu, where some residents posted videos of their homes showing lamps swinging and objects falling to the ground.