Beijing: At least 242 people, including school children, were killed and over 1,000 others injured when the worst-ever earthquake struck the quake-prone Xinjiang region in North West China on February 24.

More than 1,000 houses and school buildings have collapsed in a village in Bachu county, the epicentre of the earthquake that measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, the local government said.

The earthquake is the most serious since 1949, when The People's Republic of China was founded, Xinhua news agency said.

Some officials from the China Seismological Bureau and local seismological bureau have flown to the area, it said.

Several other places in the desert province, including Jiashi county, Kashi city, Bachu county, Artux county and Markit county also felt strong tremors.

The earthquake occurred at 10.30 am (08.30 am IST) and the epicentre was 39.5 degrees North latitude and 77.2 degrees East longitude, according to the China Seismological Bureau.

PTI