Southwestern China rattled by series of quakes

Beijing, Jun 17 (AFP) A string of five earthquakes -- including one with a magnitude of 6.0 -- shook China's southwestern Sichuan province on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The epicenter of the largest quake was located outside the city of Yibin. It occurred at about 10:55 pm (1455 GMT) at a depth of 16 kilometres (10 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The subsequent smaller quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 5.1, took place in the following 40 minutes. Videos circulating on social media showed chandeliers and other light fixtures swaying from the shaking.

AFP was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the videos. State news agency Xinhua said local authorities had dispatched personnel to determine if there had been any casualties.

Earthquakes regularly strike Sichuan, where a powerful 7.9-magnitude quake left 87,000 people dead or missing in 2008. In February, three earthquakes hit Rongxian county in the province, killing two people and injuring 12 others -- casualties that residents blamed on fracking.

Local authorities later halted shale gas mining after thousands of residents protested.