The number of people who died during the earthquake that shook south-western China on Tuesday has reached 20, and 431 people were injured, the CGTN TV channel said in a Twitter post.

Kanal24 reports citing on TASS news that, earlier, authorities reported at least 19 deaths and 343 injuries. All hydroelectric power stations in the earthquake area were reported to be operating safely.

The first earth shocks in the Jiuzhaigou county (Sichuan province) were reported at 21:19 local time (16:19 Moscow time). The strongest of them reached a 7.0 magnitude. The quake struck 280 - 300km northwest of Chengdu, Sichuan’s capital city, and was 20km deep.

Shaking was also felt in the towns of Lanzhou, Chongqing, Mianyang, and Xi'an. About 770 aftershocks were reported within the next few hours. The emergencies headquarters mobilized units of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, People’s Armed Police Force, firefighters, police and people’s militia to eliminate the effects of the quake.