Strong quake hits northwest China: USGS

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck northwest China on Friday, the US Geological Survey reported, but state media said there were no immediate reports of casualties.

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck northwest China on Friday, the US Geological Survey reported, but state media said there were no immediate reports of casualties.

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The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 9:52 am (0152 GMT), was located 165 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of the city of Golmud in Qinghai province, the USGS said. The quake hit at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres.

A 5.6-magnitude aftershock hit the remote area about 20 minutes later, the USGS said.

The China Earthquake Administration registered the initial quake at 6.4.

The state Xinhua news agency cited local officials as saying no casualties had been reported.

In May last year, nearly 87,000 people were left dead or missing when an 8.0-magnitude earthquake shook southwest Sichuan province.