Quake kills 3, damages thousands of homes

A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Friday, killing three people, injuring 42 others and damaging 3,000 homes so far, authorities said.

The number of dead and injured might rise, but additional losses should not be heavy, since the area has a low population density, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The quake rocked Pishan county, in the Hotan prefecture, just after 9 am at a depth of 10 kilometers, and it disrupted communications, the prefecture's Party committee said. An airport in Hotan was closed.