An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale struck Qingchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 5:49 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The quake struck the county, adjacent to Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, with the epicenter about 10 km underground.

The cities of Hanzhong and Xi'an in Shaanxi felt the quake. Many people rushed out of buildings in those cities. Chongqing also felt the quake.

On Friday afternoon, an aftershock with the same magnitude hit Pingwu and Beichuan counties in Sichuan, leaving 231 people injured.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008),