Beijing: A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck western China early this morning, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake hit at 6:33 a.m. (local time), about 225 kilometers southeast of Hotan in Xinjiang province, the USGS said.

Dale Grant, a USGS geophysicist, described the area as "very seismically active" but said today's temblor was the biggest there on record.
Source : PTI