6.0-magnitude quake hits China's Sichuan province
Posted: 05 August 2008 1823 hrs

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BEIJING: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan province on Tuesday, close to the area that was devastated by a quake earlier this year, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit 48 kilometres northwest of Guangyuan city at a depth of 10 kilometres at 5:49 pm (0949 GMT), according to a statement on the USGS website.

An official with China Earthquake Administration, based in Beijing, confirmed that an "aftershock" had hit the area.

"So far, we have not received any report of casualties," he told AFP.

The official Xinhua news agency said the quake was felt in the Sichuan capital Chengdu. About 70,000 people were confirmed killed in the 8.0-magnitude quake that hit the province on May 12.

The quake was also felt as far away as Xi'an city in north China's Shaanxi province, a tourist in the area told AFP by phone, adding that people fled into the streets after it struck.

More than 12,600 aftershocks have rattled the region since the May 12 earthquake, with at least seven above 6.0 on the Richter scale, the China Earthquake Administration has said.

The scale adopted by the USGS is similar to the Richter scale, but considered more accurate.

- AFP/yb