Shallow 5.1 magnitude earthquake strikes China

A moderate 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern Sichuan province early Sunday, US geologists said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

A moderate 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern Sichuan province early Sunday, US geologists said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake struck at 6:07am (2207 GMT Saturday) at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), the US Geological Survey said.

Shallow earthquakes can often cause greater damage than more powerful deep ones.

The USGS said the epicentre of the earthquake was two kilometres southwest of Xiluodu and 96 kilometres from Zhaotong in neighbouring Yunnan province, where a deadly quake two weeks ago killed 615 people and injured 3,143.

In May 2008, a giant quake that Chinese authorities said measured 8.0-magnitude rocked Sichuan, killing tens of thousands of people and flattening swathes of the province.