Rescue workers helped a pensioner to safety following a strong earthquake that shook Sichuan Province, China early Thursday.

The old man was seen walking through the destruction caused by the quake in Luzhou City on September 16. Two rescuers accompanied the man as he ambled along the debris-littered road amid a downpour.

The Luzhou Public Security Bureau said: ‘Currently, the Luzhou Police Force is intensively carrying out various rescue work at the disaster site.’

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 5.4, while the China Earthquake Networks Centre measured a magnitude of 6.0. The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres from the surface, both agencies said.

Local government officials confirmed at least three deaths, while 59 more were injured. More than 200 houses were damaged, and 6,904 residents were evacuated.

The earthquake, which hit 120 kilometres southwest of densely populated Chongqing, triggered the second-highest response in China’s four-tiered emergency response system.