What to do to be safe in an earthquake?
1:04
(CNN) -
An earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province left at least three people dead and 60 injured on Thursday, according to state media.
Local authorities placed the quake at a magnitude of 6, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed it at a magnitude of 5.4 on an 8-point scale.
The quake struck in the early hours of the morning, with the epicenter located about 52 kilometers southwest of Chongqing's Yongchuan district, with an initial depth of 10 kilometers, according to the USGS.
Photographs show damaged buildings with shattered windows and debris covered exterior floors, including downed trees and collapsed walls.
At least 1,221 houses have collapsed and more than 3,000 have been seriously damaged, according to the state tabloid Global Times.
"I woke up to the shaking and saw that the chandelier in my room was swaying dramatically and the desk was shaking," one resident, surnamed Tang, told the Global Times.
"It has been a long time since an earthquake of this magnitude occurred."
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A damaged wall in Luzhou, Sichuan, after the September 16 earthquake.
The Chinese authorities launched rescue efforts in the morning and the provincial government activated a level 2 response, the second highest in the Chinese earthquake emergency response system, which is four levels, according to state news outlet Xinhua.
The city of Luzhou, home to some 5 million residents, was among the worst affected areas.
Thousands of soldiers and emergency workers have been dispatched to participate in rescue efforts, along with equipment, medical supplies, makeshift surgical vehicles and heavy machinery.
Tents have been set up for the evacuees in a nearby town.
Experts say a more serious quake is unlikely, although there may be aftershocks, Xinhua reported.
Sichuan lies along one of several seismic belts in China, making it prone to earthquakes.
A local employee in Luzhou told the Global Times that although residents are accustomed to earthquakes, they are generally smaller in magnitude, and Thursday's was significantly stronger than average.
Several major earthquakes have occurred along one particular tectonic boundary, the Longmenshan fault, which runs through the Sichuan Mountains.
That's where the 2008 Sichuan earthquake happened, also known as the Wenchuan earthquake.
The devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake, near the top of the scale, killed nearly 90,000 people and caused tremors in distant cities.
Even 10 years later, not all the damage to the earthquake site has been repaired, with survivors telling CNN they still had deep scars.
The 2008 earthquake also highlighted poor building standards and building regulations, widespread at the time megacities were built at breakneck speed during China's economic and urban boom.
Although authorities at the time cracked down on activists and critics demanding accountability, sparking public outrage, the government eventually tightened regulations and strengthened enforcement.
Since 2008, the country has invested heavily in disaster preparedness, modernizing buildings in earthquake-prone areas and implementing regular drills for emergency and school workers.
Beijing has also allocated tens of millions of dollars to developing satellites and seismic science, according to Reuters.
Earthquake