5.8-magnitude quake hits northwest China

BEIJING/XINING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted the city of Delingha in northwest China's Qinghai Province at 10:21 a.m. Sunday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The epicenter was monitored at 38.44 degrees north latitude and 97.37 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 8 km, the CENC said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, according to the Qinghai Earthquake Agency.

Areas near the epicenter are sparsely populated with around 1,200 residents in a radius of 100 km, according to the agency.

The epicenter is around 119 km away from the downtown area of Delingha and 439 km from the provincial capital Xining.