3 powerful quakes jolt China's disaster zone

The area was severely damaged in the May quake but that appeared to help reduce casualties on Thursday, as most people were living in tents after losing their homes in the earlier disaster, according to reports in the Chinese press.

A reporter for China’s official Xinhua news agency based in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, said the third tremor was felt there and lasted for around 20 seconds. However there were no reports of damage in Chengdu.

The first quake struck at 3:54 am (1954 GMT Wednesday) with a magnitude of 5.8 and at a depth of 10km, the US Geological Survey said.

The second quake hit at 1:30 pm, with a magnitude of 4.8 and a depth of 10km, according to the USGS. The third quake hit at 3:09 pm with a magnitude of 5.5 and also a depth of 10km.

The 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan on May 12 killed 69,197 people and left 18,209 others missing, according to the government.