Strong Quake Hits Northwest China; No Damage Reported

HONG KONG — A strong earthquake shook the northwestern Chinese province of Xinjiang Saturday, the Hong Kong Royal Observatory reported today. It said it had received no reports of casualties or damage.

The observatory said the quake, measuring 6 on the open-ended Richter scale, was recorded at 4:16 p.m. and that its epicenter was near Wushi in the northwestern sector of Xinjiang province.

In July 1976, an earthquake of 8.2 on the Richter scale struck Tangshan, China, and 800,000 people are reported to have died. China did not release information on that disaster for several years.