Strong earthquake shakes west China

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake has rocked China’s far western region of Xinjiang, the US Geological Survey said.

It was not immediately clear if Wednesday’s quake, centred in a remote area near the county of Keriya, known in Chinese as Yutian, caused any damage or casualties. The China Earthquake Networks Centre measured the quake at magnitude 7.

The director of the Yutian Civil Affairs Bureau, Zhang Chong, said officials were still gathering information. A police officer in Yutian said he felt tremors shaking the police station and ran outside.

The USGS said the earthquake was centred 269 kilometres (168 miles) east-southeast of Hotan at a depth of 12.5 kilometres (7.7 miles).