Moderate earthquake hits China

HONG KONG: A moderate 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern province of Sichuan on Wednesday, seismologists said.

The shallow quake, at a depth of just nine kilometres (5.5 miles), was centred 40 kilometres from Guangyang, in the Sichuan-Gansu border region, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which hit at 2:53 am (1853 GMT Tuesday).

The 8.0-magnitude May 12 Sichuan earthquake was the worst in a generation in China, flattening entire towns and leaving more than 87,000 people dead or missing.