No casualties reported after SW China quake

No casualties have been reported after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake jolted a Tibetan county in southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday, local authorities said.

The earthquake hit the Baiyu County in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze at 8:42 p.m., according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The epicenter was monitored at 31.0 degrees north latitude and 99.4 degrees east longitude with a depth of 15 km, the center said.

There have been no reports of casualties from local residents, as the epicenter is located in a remote region where traffic is backward and telephone communication is unavailable, sources with the prefectural government said.

However, some buildings of local residents surrounding the epicenter were damaged in the quake, according to the sources.

A further investigation into the property losses after the quake is under way.