2,000 relocated after Xinjiang quake

URUMQI - About 2,000 people in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have been relocated as of noon on Monday following a 5.3-magnitude earthquake on Sunday, local authorities said.

A total of 468 houses in five townships collapsed or were damaged in the quake that jolted Keping county in southern Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture at 4:34 pm on Sunday, according to the prefecture government.

Some 185 sheep pens were also damaged in the quake.

No casualties have been reported.

The prefecture government has allocated coal, quilts and tents for the affected residents.

The epicenter, with a depth of 9 km, is 23 km from the county seat.

Keping county, located in the western border of the Tarim Basin, has been blighted by earthquakes throughout history. Thirty quakes above 5-magnitude and four above 6-magnitude have been recorded in areas within 100 km of the epicenter.