Strong quake hits China's far west Xinjiang region

A strong earthquake damaged buildings and injured at least one person seriously in a rural part of China's far west Xinjiang region, the government said Monday.

Rescue teams were sent to Peyzawat county, a rural area outside of the city of Kashgar, after the Sunday night quake.

The Ministry of Emergency Management said a number of people were injured, one seriously, and some small buildings and walls around properties collapsed.

The magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck at 9:21 pm at a depth of 16 kilometres (10 miles), the China Earthquake Networks Center said.

The epicentre was 56 kilometres (35 miles) from Peyzawat and shaking was felt in the cities of Kashgar and Artux, the centre said.

The US Geological Survey reported the earthquake's magnitude as 6.0 and its depth as 11 kilometres (7 miles).

Earthquakes occur frequently in the region, which borders central Asia.