BEIJING An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale hit a mountainous area in western China bordering Tibet, but there were no reports of casualties, seismological authorities said Wednesday. It's a region that is only sparsely populated. There were no deaths, or injuries, according to the Xinjiang and Tibet seismological bureaus, a representative of the state seismological bureau in Beijing told AFP. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at around 0100 a.m.

Wednesday (1700 GMT Tuesday), was located in a rural area of the Hoh Xil mountain range bordering Tibet and the Xinjiang, the bureau said. A magnitude 5.0 on the Richter scale can cause considerable damage. (AFP)