Lushan , China ( CNN ) -- A strong earthquake that struck the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan this weekend has killed 186 people , sent nearly 8,200 to hospitals and created a dire dearth of drinking water , Chinese state-run Xinhua reported Sunday . Earlier reports had said as many as 11,200 people were injured . The Sichuan Red Cross estimated that drinking water in Ya'an City will run out within three days despite rescue workers ' efforts to deliver supplies to quake-hit area . In more remote areas , where the shifting earth muddied river waters , people anxiously awaited evacuation , Xinhua said . Thousands of emergency workers , including soldiers , rushed to reach the affected zones in the hilly region , but their progress was impeded . Huge mountain chunks near the quake 's epicenter in Lushan County have sheared off and fallen into valleys . Boulders have landed on roads , making emergency work difficult . Buildings were flattened in the county , and others had severe structural damage . Xu Mengjia , the Communist Party chief of Ya'an , the city that administers the area where the quake struck , told state broadcaster CCTV that because of landslides and disruption to communications , determining the total number of casualties will take some time . The Chinese government allocated 3 million yuan ( about $ 480,400 ) to rescue and relief efforts Sunday , a day after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang traveled to the area from Beijing , state media reported . Li spent Saturday in Lushan County , leading the response near the quake 's epicenter , then visited hospital patients Sunday , Xinhua reported . Students gather outside to escape the quake . The quake struck just after 8 a.m. local time Saturday , about 115 kilometers ( 71 miles ) from the provincial capital , Chengdu , at a depth of around 12 kilometers , according to the U.S. Geological Survey . There was conflicting information about the earthquake 's strength , with the USGS putting the magnitude at 6.6 and the China Earthquake Networks Center gauging it at 7.0 . It was followed by a series of aftershocks , some of them as strong as magnitude 5.1 , the USGS said . Authorities have sent rescue workers to the area around the epicenter , briefly halting flights at the airport in Chengdu and suspending high-speed rail operations , state media reported . The emergency response appeared to be substantial . Soldiers were seen heading into the area , while the government and Red Cross set up triage centers . The event stirred memories of the devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan in 2008 , killing more than 87,000 people . First responders to Saturday 's quake reported that the damage did n't appear to be as severe as what was seen after the 2008 disaster , according to CCTV . Fan Xiaodong , a student in Chengdu , said that when buildings began to shake in the city , many of his startled classmates rushed out of their dorms , some of them wearing only the clothes they 'd been sleeping in . At first , Fan said , he only felt a slight trembling as he dozed in bed . `` I thought it was my roommates shaking the bed , '' he said . `` But the shock became stronger soon , and it came to me that an earthquake happened . '' The epicenter was in Lushan County , a district of Ya'an . That area is home to China 's famous giant pandas and houses the country 's biggest panda research center . CCTV reported that the pandas at the facility , which is about 40 kilometers ( about 25 miles ) from the epicenter , were safe . Residents of Chongqing , a sprawling metropolis more than 300 kilometers ( about 190 miles ) from Ya'an , said the quake also shook buildings there . Are you there ? Send your iReports . CNN 's David McKenzie reported from Lushan , China . CNN 's Ed Payne and Mark Morgenstein reported from Atlanta .
NEW : 186 people are dead and 8,200 hospitalized , Chinese state media Xinhua reports . NEW : The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang travels to the area . The quake struck about 70 miles from the city of Chengdu in Sichuan .