7.3-magnitude earthquake hits southwest China

Beijing: A powerful earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale struck China's southwest Xinjiang region on Friday but there were no initial reports of casualties.

The first quake in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 6.33 am (local time) was followed by four aftershocks of magnitude between 5 and 5.2, the Chinese Seismological Network said.

The jolts occurred in the sparsely populated mountainous region, an official said. "There were no immediate reports of casualties," official Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.

The earthquakes had hit the townships of Aqqan and Bostan with a total population of 13,400, an official in Hotian Prefecture said. Medical workers and public security staff have rushed to the region.