HONG KONG - A MODERATE 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern province of Sichuan on Wednesday, seismologists said.

The shallow quake, at a depth of just 9km was centred 40km from Guangyang, in the Sichuan-Gansu border region, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which hit at 2:53 am (same time for Singapore).

The 8.0-magnitude May 12 Sichuan earthquake was the worst in a generation in China, flattening entire towns and leaving more than 87,000 people dead or missing. -- AFP