BEIJING (AFP) - A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck a remote area of southwest China on Saturday at a shallow depth of about 10 km, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which struck at 0004 GMT (8:04 am, Singapore time), was centred on Benzilan, in the Sichuan-Yunnan border region, the USGS said.

State media said rescue teams were heading to the mountainous area.

Twin quakes killed at least 95 people in Gansu province in July.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Sichuan province killed about 200 people earlier this year, five years after almost 90,000 people were killed by a huge tremor in the same province.