Devastation and chaos in southwestern China as a 6.6 magnitude earthquake leaves more than 150 people dead and thousands injured.

The earthquake hit at 8.02am local time in China's Sichuan province, reducing houses to rubble and leaving residents dazed, state television showed.

Tents were set up in the compound of a hospital to serve as emergency facilities for fear of aftershocks.

TV footage showed people holding up quilts or umbrellas to provide shade for the injured on the ground.

This woman says falling rubble from the roof hit her husband who was trying to rescue their daughter from their home.

State TV showed footage of Chinese Premier Li Keqiuang flying to Chengdu, the provincial capital of the quake zone.

He has urged that all efforts be put into rescuing victims to limit the death toll.

The state news agency said rescuers had so far pulled 32 survivors out of the rubble.

Six thousand troops were also heading to the area to help w