5.1-magnitude earthquake shakes remote area of Xinjiang
URUMQI. June 11. KAZINFORM An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit a remote mountainous region in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region Thursday afternoon; Kazinform refers to China Daily.
While there are not yet reports of casualties, local officials at Wuqia County of Kizilsu Prefecture, about 60 km from the epicenter, said they are still assessing damages.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake struck at 2:38 p.m. about 8 kilometers below the earth surface. The epicenter was 39.9 degrees north latitude and 74.7 degrees east longitude, officials said.
Residents in Wuqia and at least three neighboring villages and townships felt the quake.
Also, communications were temporarily shut down after the tremor.
Reached by phone, an official in Wuheshalu Town told Xinhua that many houses in the township suffered cracks during the quake but there are no immediate reports of casualties; Kazinform cites China Daily.
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