China quake prompts evacuation of 8,250

Beijing, July 22: An earthquake in a remote region of northwest China brought down more than 2,100 houses and prompted the evacuation of 8,250 people, Xinhua news agency said today.

The 5.7-magnitude quake jolted a county in the north of the vast Xinjiang region, bordering Kazakhstan, on Friday.

Xinhua quoted an official as saying no one had died.

The quake hit Tekes county, with its epicentre in a mountainous region 430 km (270 miles) from Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang.

''Rescuers have displaced 8,250 residents as their houses, most of which are mud-brick, either collapsed or became dangerous,'' the official was quoted as saying.

China is struck by frequent earthquakes, most hitting remote rural areas.

Reuters>