An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale hit an area near Anqing City in east China's Anhui Province Wednesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

No casualties or damages were immediately reported, local authorities said.

The quake struck at 12:07 PM, the center reported.

The epicenter was monitored at 30.6 degrees north latitude and 117.1 degrees east longitude with a depth of nine kilometers, the center said.

The quake was felt strongly in Anqing, and local residents were seen rushing out of buildings when it struck.

"Desks in my office were shaking terribly hard," Wang Zhenggui, a local government employee told Xinhua on the phone.

The quake was also felt in Wuhu and Hefei, two other cities in Anhui.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2011)