Seventeen people were killed and 20 more seriously injured in an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale on Saturday in a region between Jiujiang and Ruichang in east China's Jiangxi Province.

An emergency work group sent by the State Seismic Bureau, together with one on-the-spot work team arrived in the site of the quake by Saturday noon.

The earthquake struck around 8:49 AM Saturday, China National Seismic Observation Network said.

The epicenter was monitored to be at 29.7 degree north latitude, 115.7 degree east longitude, according to the sources.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2005)