No casualties yet after M6.2 quake hits Xinjiang

URUMQI - No casualties have been reported since a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Hutubi County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 1:15 pm Thursday.

The epicenter is located at 43.83 degrees north latitude and 86.35 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 6 km, and was felt strongly in Urumqi, the regional capital 100 km away, and other parts of northern Xinjiang.

Wang Guiqin who lives on the second floor of a building in Hutubi, told Xinhua "the building was shaking and the lamp looked like it would fall. The balcony door shook open."

Liu Xingguo in Hutubi said he was in his yard when the quake struck. He felt the ground shaking, but his brick house was undamaged. He did not see any other houses collapse in the village.

A Xinhua reporter in Urumqi said his office building shook for more than 10 seconds. Drink cans and bottles fell from shelves in a supermarket in Urumqi.

A county official in Hutubi told Xinhua that no houses had collapsed in the urban area. Officials are checking damage in townships.

In Sangong Township of neighboring Manas County, there were cracks in some houses and some chimneys fell. Residents ran out of their houses.

Students were evacuated from classrooms to safe areas. Some primary schools in Hutubi canceled classes on Thursday afternoon.

A safety check was conducted on railway facilities in Urumqi and Kuytun, according to the Urumqi Railway Bureau.

As of 2 p.m. Thursday, 31 aftershocks have been recorded, including six measuring between 3.0 and 3.9 magnitude.