URUMQI, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- No casualties or economic loss have been reported after a 5.0-magnitude earthquake hit Uqturpan County of Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 1:29 p.m. Sunday.
The county government said strong tremors were felt during the quake, and an emergency response has been activated. Local officials have been sent to evaluate the impact of the quake.
The prefectural firefighting department has loaded quake relief equipment and supplies and is ready for rescue operations.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the epicenter was monitored at 41.21 degrees north latitude and 78.82 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 11 km.
The Xinjiang seismological bureau said the epicenter was 34 km from Uqturpan and 778 km from Urumqi, the regional capital. No villages are located within 20 km of the epicenter.
