At least two groups of Singapore travellers were in Jiuzhaigou when a 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the area on Tuesday, but are safe and on the way out of China's popular tourist attraction.

More travellers scheduled to visit are reconsidering their plans after an earthquake struck Sichuan in south-west China, killing 19 people, including eight tourists, and injuring 247 others as of 7pm yesterday.

The earthquake was near the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve, a popular destination for Singapore tourists.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that the Singapore consulate-general in Chengdu has reached out to e-registered Singaporeans in the affected areas.

"Some Singaporeans visiting Jiuzhaigou were affected by the earthquake. We have ascertained that all e-registered Singaporeans in Jiuzhaigou are safe."

A group of 20 on a trip organised by Chan Brothers Travel was on standby for the next flight out of Jiuzhaigou.

"We are ascertaining road conditions and sourcing available immediate flight options out of Jiuzhaigou for our customers," said Ms Jane Chang, head of marketing communications at Chan Brothers.

She said the agency has another group scheduled to enter the area on Saturday, but is awaiting postponement or cancellation directives from the airlines.

Another group of 16 on a Jiuzhaigou tour organised by Dynasty Travel reached Chengdu on a coach at 7pm last night.

"The safety of our customers is a priority and we will amend our itinerary to ensure that the journey is safe," said Ms Alicia Seah, director of public relations and communications at Dynasty Travel.

She added that it has another 30 groups of about 900 travellers scheduled to visit Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou in the next two months.

The agency has received fewer than 10 calls from customers expressing concern about their trips.

Both agencies said it was not possible to speak to their travellers yesterday due to their travel schedules.

A separate quake with a magnitude of 6.3 hit China's far north- western region of Xinjiang yesterday. As of 7pm yesterday, 32 were reported to be injured.