An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale rumbled through
northern China, seismological officials said on Tuesday.
The quake was felt in Beijing, but there were no immediate reports
of injuries or damage.
The Hebei provincial seismological bureau said on its website that
the earthquake hit at 4.35 pm (0935 GMT) in Luan county, some 200
kilometers (124 miles) east of the Chinese capital.
"We don't believe this sort of quake would cause major damage or
casualties, in our experience," said a spokesman at the State
Seismological Bureau.
The China News Service said the tremor was felt by workers in high
rise buildings in Beijing.
The epicenter was some 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Tangshan,
which in 1976 was flattened by a 7.8 magnitude quake, killing
242,000 people.
"It is an aftershock of the Tangshan earthquake," said Liu Wansheng
of the Luan seismological bureau.
"So far there have been no reports of casualties or damages."
A
mild earthquake that jolted the Chinese port city of Tianjin last
month was also described as an aftershock of Tangshan. No damage or
casualties were reported in that instance.
(China Daily January 21, 2004)
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