China's Sichuan hit by 6.5 magnitude quake

[BEIJING] A 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled southwest China late Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. There was no immediate information on any damage or casualties.

The quake occurred around 9.20pm (1320 GMT) in a remote region of Sichuan province not far from the site of a massive 8.0-magnitude earthquake in 2008 that left 87,000 people dead or missing.

The epicentre of Tuesday's quake was 284 kilometres north of the provincial capital Chengdu and struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, the USGS said.

China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially its mountainous western and south-western regions.

AFP