Eight killed when magnitude 5.5 earthquake hits China's northwest

Eight people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 struck in China's northwest Xinjiang region on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency said, with photographs online also showing damaged buildings.

The China Earthquake Administration (CEA) said the quake occurred in the remote Taxkorgan County area of Kashgar Prefecture at a depth of 8 km (5 miles). Xinhua said in a microblog post 11 people were also injured.

Xinjiang is frequently jolted by earthquakes, most of which cause little damage.

Xinhua also reported that some building walls had been cracked or had collapsed and that casualty figures were still being compiled.

Magnitude 6.8 quake hits off Antarctica: USGS

A strong quake of magnitude 6.8 struck north of Antarctica on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but it was not expected to cause a tsunami.

The quake's epicenter was 61 miles (98 km) northeast of Visokoi Island, part of the South Sandwich Islands archipelago, a British overseas territory. The quake was very shallow, at a depth of only 6.2 miles (10 km) below the seabed, the USGS said.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Center said the quake was not expected to cause a tsunami.

Source: Reuters