Moderate Quake Levels 180 Homes in China’s Northwest – Seismological Center

BEIJING (Sputnik) — A shallow magnitude 5.5 earthquake collapsed numerous homes in China’s western Xinjiang province, a local seismological center said Thursday.

The Xinjiang Uyghur seismological center said on local social media that at least 180 homes had been razed and more than 20 people injured. The state news agency Xinhua said earlier that eight people had died when the quake collapsed walls.

It was earlier reported that local authorities confirmed deaths of eight people. The Xinhua news agency said at least 11 people had been injured, and more people could have been affected. An estimated 580 people live within a 12-mile radius of the epicenter and 6,200 within a 30-mile radius.