North Korea quake a 'suspected explosion': China seismologists

[BEIJING] An earthquake in North Korea Wednesday morning was a "suspected explosion", Chinese seismologists said, following fears of another nuclear test by Pyongyang.

The tremor registered inside North Korea was a "suspected explosion", the China Earthquake Network Centre said on its website. It gave the depth as zero kilometres and the magnitude as 4.9.

The notice was similar to one given by China in 2013 following an earthquake in North Korea which turned out to have been caused by a nuclear test.

Beijing is a close ally of Pyongyang but relations have become more strained in recent years, in part because of the North's persistence with its nuclear programme in the face of international condemnation.

China condemned the 2013 nuclear test.

Officials in Seoul also said a 5.1 magnitude tremor was detected close to North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site on Wednesday.

AFP