An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale jolted Lop county in Hotan of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 6:50 a.m. Friday, the China Earthquake Network Center said.

 (Photo: gb.cri.cn)
The epicenter, with a depth of 30 kilometers, was at 39.4 degrees north latitude and 81.3 degrees east longitude.

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Earthquake Bureau had not received casualty reports from local authorities as of 10 a.m., a spokesman with the bureau said.

The spokesman said the epicenter is located in the heart of China's largest desert of Taklimakan. The location with a radius of 100 square km is uninhabited.

He said the bureau is still expecting damage reports from Aksu, Kashi, Hotan, Bayan Gol and Ili prefectures, where the quake was felt.

Local authorities in the regions have sent staff to make door calls in rural areas to check damages.

Li Qiang, a resident living in Hotan, said his family were all woken up by tremors before dawn. But their house was not damaged.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet