China's emergency regulator on Sunday initiated a national emergency response to a magnitude 5.7 earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A landslide site is pictured in Luopu Village after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Zhoujia Township of Xingwen County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 16, 2018. (Photos: Xinhua)

The Ministry of Emergency Management activated a level-IV emergency response, and work teams have been dispatched to guide and assist emergency rescue work.

The earthquake hit the county of Xingwen in the city of Yibin, Sichuan Province, at 12:46pm Sunday, with a depth of 12 km, according to the local government.

The epicenter was monitored 70 km away from Yibin and 270 km from Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.

By 5:30pm Sunday, 16 people had been reported injured in the earthquake, the ministry said.

A total of 378 people have been evacuated and more than 300 rescuers have been sent to the quake site, according to local authorities.

Residents in areas near the epicenter felt strong tremors, some houses collapsed and some roads were cut off by landslides.

A villager shows a cracked wall in his home after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Luopu Village, Zhoujia Township of Xingwen County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 16, 2018.

An injured person is admitted to a local hospital in Zhoujia Township after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Xingwen County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 16, 2018.

An injured man is treated at a local hospital in Zhoujia Township after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Xingwen County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 16, 2018.