6.4-magnitude earthquake hits Xinjiang, no casualties reported

Staff members check at the Kashgar Railway Station after an earthquake hit Jiashi County in Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2020. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Jiashi County in Kashgar Prefecture in Xinjiang at 9:27 p.m. Sunday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). (Xinhua)

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Jiashi County in Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 9:27 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

No casualties have been reported so far. But strong tremors were felt in Jiashi, where some residents said their ceiling lamps were swaying and their houses kept shaking, and many ran outside.

Some 50 emergency response personnel were sent to the quake-hit area to evaluate the situation. The firefighting and power supply departments in Jiashi and surrounding counties also initiated an emergency response, with rescue forces on standby.

Nine passenger trains running in the quake-stricken zone were temporarily halted and railway staff have been dispatched for facility checkout.

The epicenter was monitored at 39.83 degrees north latitude and 77.21 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 16 km, the CENC said in a statement.

Another 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the city of Artux, which is not far from Jiashi, at 10:23 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time). The epicenter was monitored at 39.89 degrees north latitude and 77.46 degrees east longitude, according to the CENC.