6.5 Earthquake hits North West China

A strong magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck remote northwestern China on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The quake struck the Qinghai province at a depth of 6.2 miles on Monday morning, the agency said. The USGS said the quake's epicenter was located 1,120 miles west of Beijing.

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China's Earthquake Administration confirmed the earthquake, but said it had a magnitude of 6.3 on its scale. There were no immediate reports of casualties, said Zhang, a spokesman for the earthquake administration in Qinghai.

"We contacted the local authorities, but we are still investigating the situation for any damage or injuries," said Zhang, who gave only his surname as is common with Chinese officials.

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China's far west is fairly earthquake-prone. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake on May 12 devastated parts of Sichuan province, just east of Tibet, killing 70,000 people and leaving 5 million homeless.