A 5.0-magnitude earthquake hit Thursday in southwest China's Sichuan province, an area rattled repeatedly by aftershocks following a massive tremor in May, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit 87 kilometres (54 miles) north of Mianyang city at a depth of 10 kilometres at 4:15 pm (0815 GMT), according to a statement on the USGS website.

"The aftershock could be felt in many places in Sichuan," the sina.com website reported.

There was no immediate report of casualties. About 70,000 people were confirmed killed in the 8.0-magnitude quake that hit the province in May.

A magnitude-6.0 aftershock that hit Sichuan Tuesday could be felt as far away as Xi'an, capital of north China's Shaanxi province. Three people were reported killed in Tuesday's aftershock.