China: At least 1 dead after strong quake hits Xinjiang

BEIJING

At least one person has been confirmed dead after a strong earthquake hit northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.

State news agency Xinhua reported Saturday that the fatality was found in a collapsed house in Akto County in Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture after a magnitude 6.7 temblor damaged some residences in the area overnight.

Neighboring Kashgar Prefecture also experienced strong tremors, and parts of railway in southern Xinjiang have temporarily been closed off.

The epicenter of the quake -- which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) -- is located in a sparsely populated cold highland region, according to the country government.

Local officials who traveled to a village near the epicenter reported seeing damaged houses and dead livestock, Xinhua reported.

A work team has been deployed to the affected area, with the China Earthquake Administration activating an emergency response.

Late Saturday afternoon, another shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 struck the prefecture's Aketao County at a depth of 6 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Last month, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook the neighboring province of Qinghai, but no casualties were reported.

In August 2014, at least 617 people died when a magnitude-6.5 quake struck southwest Yunnan province.

Another southwestern province, Sichuan, suffered a massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake in May 2008 that left more than 80,000 dead or missing.