Over 3,000 affected in Xinjiang quake

URUMQI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 3,256 people were affected and 864 houses damaged after an earthquake hit northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Monday morning, the local government said Wednesday.

A 5.2-magnitude quake jolted Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, at 11:01 a.m. Monday.

According to the latest statistics from the city government, as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, 3,256 people had been affected and 864 houses had been destroyed or damaged at the epicenter.

In the worst-hit areas, 794 people have been evacuated and moved to safety, and an elementary school suspended classes after structural damage was found. Relief materials have been sent to the vicitims.

Artux lies in the southwest of Xinjiang, about 1,500 km from the regional capital Urumqi.

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