Doha: 13 people were injured in a 5.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Gaoxian county in Yibin city, southwest China's Sichuan province, Chinese authorities announced on Monday.

According to Qatar News Agency, the injured were sent to hospitals for treatment, and 196 others have been relocated. Relief efforts are underway in an orderly manner, as stated by the Yibin earthquake relief command headquarters.

The earthquake occurred at 00:12 a.m. on Monday (Beijing Time). The epicenter was monitored at 28.50 degrees north latitude and 104.69 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 6 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The China Earthquake Administration initiated a Level-III emergency response following the quake. China is one of the countries most prone to earthquakes because of its geographical location on the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean, where several tectonic plates meet.