China earthquake death toll rises as three more bodies found

The death toll from an earthquake that scarred a scenic region of south-west China's Sichuan province rose to 23 on Friday as authorities found three more bodies.

Chinese rescuers walk on a damaged cliff road to search for victims and survivors of the earthquake. Source: AAP

The Aba prefecture emergency response office said in a statement that the bodies were found inside a bus in a river valley in Zhangzha. It did not give more details about what had happened to the vehicle.

The statement said at least 493 were injured in Tuesday's 6.5 magnitude earthquake, which struck Jiuzhaigou, a popular tourist destination with a national park, forested mountains and over 140 lakes, that has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from quake-hit towns and villages, state media reported.

The tremor evoked memories of a devastating 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the region in 2008 that left 87,000 people dead or missing.