5.8-magnitude quake shakes Xinjiang region

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake early Friday struck northwest China's Xinjiang-Uighur region, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake, at a depth of 22.1 miles, was reported at 6:50 a.m. local time. The epicenter was 132 miles from Aksu in Xinjiang, and 1,856 miles from Beijing, the USGS said. China's official Xinhua news agency, quoting the China Earthquake Network Center, said the quake measured 6 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was in the heart of China's largest desert of Taklimakan. Although no casualties had been reported nearly 4 hours after the quake, a spokesman for the regional quake center said the agency expected to receive damage reports from Aksu, Kashi, Hotan, Bayan Gol and Ili prefectures.