Moderate Quake Jolts Western China

BEIJING (AP) - A moderate earthquake jolted a mountainous part of western China on Sunday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. No injuries or damage were immediately reported from the remote area.

The quake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 5.1, struck Sunday morning in the Kunlun Mountains in Qinghai province, a sparsely populated arid region about 1,600 miles west of Beijing, the report said. The report said there was no word of damage or casualties from the region, whose animal herders have limited contact with the outside world.

A quake with a magnitude of 5 or more can cause considerable damage if it hits an urban area.