Strong quake hits western China's Sichuan province; no immediate reports of injuries or damage

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, locals stand outside after a quake hit Kangding County in Sichuan Province, China Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. A strong earthquake struck a lightly populated, mountainous area of western China on Saturday, killing at least one person and causing minor damage to buildings, officials and state media said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Liu Guoqian) NO SALES (The Associated Press)

BEIJING – A strong earthquake has struck a lightly populated, mountainous area of western China, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the preliminary magnitude of Saturday's quake was 5.8, with a depth of 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles), capable of causing major damage under certain conditions. It struck near the town of Kangding in Sichuan province at 4:55 p.m. local time (0855 GMT).

China's seismological agency gave the initial magnitude as 6.3.

A duty officer at the Kangding county government, who gave his surname as Xia, said the quake lasted only a few seconds and there had been no aftershocks or reports of injuries or damage.