1st LD-Writethru: 5.2-magnitude quake hits Xinjiang, no casualties reported

URUMQI, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- A 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Yecheng County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 7:29 a.m. Thursday. No casualties have been reported.

The epicenter was monitored at 35.69 degrees north latitude and 77.46 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 87.0 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The Xinjiang Seismological Bureau said the quake-affected area is sparsely populated. It is 244 km away from Yecheng's county seat.

With an average height of 6,113 meters above the sea level, Yecheng is located on China's border with Pakistan. It has a population of 500,000 and is adjacent to Taklimakan Desert.

On Thursday morning, residents of Yecheng and neighboring Pishan and Hotan counties reported feeling the tremor.

The county authorities have dispatched investigators to border townships to check damage. Enditem