Strong Quake Hits China

A strong earthquake with numerous aftershocks jolted southwestern Yunnan province Tuesday morning, China’s Central Seismology Bureau said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, a bureau seismologist said 2-1/2 hours after the tremor, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, struck at about 6:46 a.m. (3:46 p.m. PDT Monday).

The temblor was centered 35 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Kunming, about 1,300 miles southwest of Beijing, said the seismologist, who identified himself by his surname, Ma.

The epicenter, Wuding County, is mountainous and sparsely populated.