LIVE: 7.0-magnitude quake hits SW China

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou county in Southwest China's Sichuan province at 9:19 pm at a depth of 20 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have called for all-out efforts on relief and rescue work.

12:00 pm, Thursday

The death toll rose to 20, with 431 injured, including 18 seriously, according to the local government.

22:00 pm, Wednesday

The death toll has risen to 19, with 343 injured, as of 22:00 pm Wednesday.

More than 50,000 tourists, including 126 foreign tourists, had been evacuated.

15:15 pm, Wednesday

As of 1:10 pm, the death toll rose to 19, with 247 injured, including 40 seriously, according to the local government.

15:00 pm, Wednesday

Military aircraft to take aerial image

A Shaanxi Y-9 transport aircraft dispatched from the Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army arrives at the quake zone at 10:05 am. The aircraft will take aerial images of the area to provide information for further rescue and relief work.

13:30 pm, Wednesday

A rescue team of 80 personnel flew to the quake area on two IL-76 freighters, with two rescue vehicles and five rescue dogs on board. The team consists of 60 personnel from PLA's industrial and technical unit, 15 from China Earthquake Administration, and five from China Armed Police General Hospital.

Photo taken on Aug. 9, 2017 shows the dining hall of the InterContinental Resort Jiuzhai Paradise after an earthquake in Jiuzhaigou County, southwest China's Sichuan Province.[Photo/Xinhua]

 11:50 am, Wednesday

A French man and a Canadian woman were among the injured after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

Maxence Vallon, 18, a French national was wounded in both legs, while the Canadian woman, who declined to be named, suffered slight injury in the head.

Both are being treated at the People's Hospital of Jiuzhaigou county.

Exact number of casualties of foreign nationals in the disaster are not available yet.

10:17 am, Wednesday

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou county in Aba autonomous prefecture of northern Sichuan province.

Red Cross joins the rescue

Red Cross Society of China has sent 1,000 first-aid kits, 2,000 beds, 200 tents from its warehouse in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, to the earthquake-stricken area in Jiuzhaigou. A rescue team from the Red Cross in the province was sent to the area at 10:10 pm on August 8.

9:30 am, Wednesday

Tourists wait for rescue at the parking lot of the InterContinental Resort Jiuzhai Paradise in quake-hit Jiuzhaigou County, Southwest China's Sichuan province, Aug 9, 2017.[Photo/Xinhua]

Casualty figures: 13 killed, 175 injured

The death toll rose to 13 at 9:30 am. 175 were injured, including more than 20 seriously, according to People's Daily and Xinhua.

An injured kid receives medical treatment at the InterContinental Resort Jiuzhai Paradise.[Photo/Xinhua]

Medical experts head for quake area

A team of five medical experts from top provincial hospitals is headed for the earthquake-stricken area by helicopter, according to National Health and Family Planning Commission. Those with minor wounds will be treated at Jiuzhaigou and neighboring counties. Those with serious injuries will be sent to Mianyang city while those critically injured will be sent to Chengdu.

About 5:00 am, Wednesday

Sichuan province's Party chief Wang Dongming and Governor Yin Li rushed to the quake area to help rescue work on Wednesday morning. A total of 1,383 soliders and officers, and 67 rescue equipment had been sent to the site.

5:00 am, Wednesday

Casualty figures: 9 killed, 164 injured

Nine were killed and 164 injured after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou county in China's southwest Sichuan province, as of 5 am on Wednesday.

Jiuzhaigou, or Jiuzhai Valley, is a national park known for spectacular waterfalls and karst formations. More than 38,000 people visited the tourist attraction on Tuesday.

At least five of those killed were reported to be tourists.

1:57 am, Wednesday

A rescue team of 440 soldiers and officers from an army unit in weastern China rushed to the quake area.

1:41 am, Wednesday

National work team sent to disaster-hit area

Premier Li Keqiang urged local authorities to go all out in relief and monitoring work.

China's cabinet, the State Council, has sent a national work team to the disaster-hit area to guide relief work. Local governments have activated top-level emergency response procedures.

1:41 am, Wednesday

Xi urges all-out relief work

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for all-out efforts to rapidly organize relief work and rescue the injured people after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Authorities should check the impact of the earthquake, evacuate and settle visitors and local people, and reduce death and injuries as much as possible, Xi said.

As the earthquake took place during the flood period and tourism season, authorities should enhance meteorological early warning and geological monitoring to guard against other disasters and try their best to protect people's lives and property, Xi added.

23:03 pm, Tuesday

China launches emergency response

The China Earthquake Administration has activated level-II emergency response procedures following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake Tuesday in Jiuzhaigou County in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China has a four-level earthquake emergency response system, with level-I being the top.

9:47 pm, Tuesday

Air China to change, cancel flights booked to quake zone for free

Air China 4393 left Jiuzhaigou at 9:47 pm on Tuesday, 28 minutes after the quake, for Guangzhou, the first flight to leave the area after the disaster. The flight carrying 119 passengers landed safely on Wednesday.

Air China will allow passengers to change or cancel their flights to Jiuzhaigou for free, according to the company. The airline will increase flights to Jiuzhaigou to evacuate people out of the quake zone.

9:19 pm, Tuesday

7.0-magnitude quake hits Sichuan

At least five tourists were killed and 63 injured when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck China's southwest Sichuan province at 9:19 pm on Tuesday.

China Earthquake Networks Center said the epicenter was at a depth of 20 kilometers close to Jiuzhaigou in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture. It was monitored at 33.2 degrees north latitude and 103.82 degrees east longitude. Aftershocks continued to shake the affected area.