The tremor struck at 11.44 pm (1544 GMT) Sunday between Bachu and Jiashi counties in the predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region, the Xinhua news agency's Chinese language website said.

The area was levelled by a powerful quake on February 24, leaving 268 people dead and 4,000 injured.

That quake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, affected an area of more than 22,500 square kilometers (9,000 square miles), causing 157 million dollars worth of damage, according to earlier official reports.

It destroyed 20,000 houses, cut water and power supplies and toppled 591 schools and 384 mosques.

SPACE.WIRE