Strong earthquake shakes remote area in western China

Beijing: An overnight earthquake shook a sparsely populated area in western China early Saturday, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The magnitude 6.9 quake struck at 1:45 a.m. in Menyuan Autonomous Hui County in Qinghai province at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). The epicenter was about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of the provincial capital, Xining, in a mountainous area that is 3,659 meters (12,000 feet) above sea level.

A nighttime video posted online by CGTN, the overseas arm of state broadcaster CCTV, showed furniture and ceiling lamps swaying and livestock suddenly standing up and moving in its pen. Photos from the state-owned China News Service showed scattered damage to homes including a broken window and wall tiles and a large ceiling section that had fallen.

Rescue and firefighting teams in Qinghai and neighbouring Gansu province have sent about 500 rescuers to the epicenter, the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management said in an online statement. Another 2,260 rescuers from neighbouring provinces were on standby.

The ministry and the China Earthquake Administration dispatched a team to Qinghai to help investigate the situation and resettle any affected residents.