URUMQI, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- There were no immediate reports of casualties or house collapse after a magnitude-5.1 earthquake struck Yuli County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Monday, local authorities said.

The quake hit at 12:12 p.m. at a depth of 15 kilometers. The epicenter was located at 40.88 degrees north latitude and 84.17 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Officials with the Yuli county government said that the tremor was strongly felt in the area. Emergency response and firefighting staff were dispatched shortly after the quake, with rescue teams sent toward the epicenter.

Transportation, electricity, telecommunications and daily life in the county remain normal, according to the officials. ■