Magnitude-5.3 earthquake hits Inner Mongolia

China earthquake watchers said a magnitude-5.3 earthquake hit Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday afternoon, as national disaster relief efforts were under way in quake-devastated Sichuan province.

The US Geological Survey says on its website the magnitude of the quake was 5.0.

The earthquake’s epicentre was 80 kilometres from Tongliao city, close to the border of Liaoning province, and the depth of the hypocentre was six kilometres, according to China Earthquake Network Centre.

The quake jolted the northern province a little past 5pm, causing tremors in multiple locations in nearby Liaoning and Jilin provinces, the Centre said.