Magnitude 6.3 earthquake rattles northern Qinghai, China

An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck northern Qinghai in China on Saturday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was reported to be at a depth of 10 km according to Reuters.

According to more details from NDTV, A 5.1-magnitude aftershock followed about 25 minutes later, USGS said. The China Earthquake Networks Center put the magnitude at 6.9, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

“There is a low likelihood of casualties,” USGS said in its assessment of the quake, adding that there however was a likelihood of “significant damage”. The US agency warned that “the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist”.