People stand on the street after an earthquake in Xining early on Saturday. AP

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck China's remote northwestern Qinghai province early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at about 1:45 am (1745 GMT) at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), was located about 140 kilometres north-northwest of the city of Xining, US seismologists said.

Four people with minor injuries in Menyuan Hui Autonomous County had been treated and released, they said at a news conference.

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The magnitude 6.9 quake struck at 1:45am in a mountainous part of Qinghai province that is 3,659 metres (12,000 feet) above sea level. It was felt 140 kilometres (85 miles) southeast in Xining, the provincial capital, where some people rushed outside of homes and buildings.

The sparsely populated province is spread across the Tibetan plateau.

A damaged roof is seen after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Menyuan county on Saturday. AFP

Nighttime video posted online by CGTN, the overseas arm of state broadcaster CCTV, showed furniture and ceiling lamps swaying and livestock suddenly standing up and moving in its pen. Photos from the state-owned China News Service showed scattered damage to homes including a broken window and wall tiles and a large ceiling section that had fallen.

There are five villages within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Service on some sections of a high-speed rail line from Lanzhou in Gansu province to the Xinjiang region was halted because of damage to several tunnels, Xinhua said. Some lines between Qinghai and Tibet were closed and inspectors were sent to check the tracks.

Rescue and firefighting teams in Qinghai and neighboring Gansu province have sent about 500 rescuers to the epicenter, the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management said in an online statement. Another 2,260 rescuers from neighboring provinces were on standby.

The ministry and the China Earthquake Administration dispatched a team to Qinghai to help investigate the situation and resettle any affected residents.

In 2010, a 6.9-magnitude quake in Qinghai left 3,000 people dead or missing.