Two killed in China earthquake

Beijing: Two people were killed as an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale shook China on Friday, officials said.

“The quake hit Pishan county in the Hotan region of Xinjiang. A level-II emergency response was issued,” Xinhua news agency quoted China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) as saying.

A farm worker in Pishan said he strongly felt the quake at his home and the shocks lasted about a minute.

CENC said the epicentre was at 37.6 degrees north latitude and 78.2 degrees east longitude at a depth of 10 km, adding that several aftershocks measuring between 3.0 and 4.6 magnitudes were recorded in the area.