Earthquakes rattle mountains near Kashgar, China

BEIJING, July 27 (Reuters) Two minor earthquakes have shaken mountains near the oasis city of Kashgar, in Xinjiang in China's far northwest, the Xinhua news agency said today.

Jiashi county, about 100 kilometres from Kashgar, suffered an earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale on Wednesday followed by a second, 4.1-magnitude tremor, today.

No casualties were reported from either quake, although the first was felt in Kashgar, Xinhua said.

Last week, an 5.7-magnitude earthquake in Tekes county, further north near Xinjiang's border with Kazakhstan, prompted the evacuation of 8,250 people after causing about 2,100 houses to collapse.

Earthquakes frequently strike in China, with most hitting remote rural areas.

REUTERS GT RN2034