An earthquake of magnitude 5 shook the Chinese province of Qinghai (west) on Thursday, without significant material damage or fatalities so far, the state agency Xinhua reported.
The tremor was registered at 10:47 local time (08:47 Lisbon time) with an epicenter nine kilometers deep, according to the Qinghai Seismological Center.
According to the report, the areas within 20 kilometers of the epicenter are sparsely populated and located 70 kilometers from Xinghai Township.
The quake was felt in the provincial capital, Xining, with a population of 2.5 million. Earthquakes are relatively common in Qinghai province, which is similar in area to Chile but has a population of just 5.9 million, making it one of the least densely populated regions in China.
In January this year, the province registered a magnitude 6.6 earthquake, with no reports of casualties, although some homes were damaged.
The quake also caused a two-meter section of the Great Wall of China to collapse in neighboring Gansu province.
Source: TSF
