6.1-magnitude earthquake hits Xinjiang, no casualties reported

URUMQI -- A 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Shaya County of Aksu Prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, at 7:49 am Monday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The epicenter was monitored at 40.01 degrees north latitude and 82.29 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 50 km.

The epicenter is located in an unpopulated area, 105 km away from the city of Alaer and 141 km away from the Shaya county seat. The quake was felt around the area, and no casualties or property losses have been reported so far, according to local authorities.

So far, 15 vehicles and 70 rescuers from the fire and rescue department in the prefecture have rushed to the disaster area. A team of 10 people from the fire and rescue department in the county is exploring the area of the epicenter with two vehicles.

Local power grid operation, oil and gas production, and key petrochemical enterprises were not affected by the earthquake.