BEIJING (REUTERS, AFP) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hit China's far western region of Xinjiang on Thursday (Dec 8), the China Earthquake Administration said, with tremors shaking buildings near the epicentre about 100 km west of the regional capital of Urumqi.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties from the quake, which struck at a depth of 6 km. China Central Television (CCTV) reports that some 178,000 people live within a 100km radius from the epicentre.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was a magnitude 5.1 and was 13km deep.

A police office in Hutubi county where the quake struck declined to give details.

A receptionist at a hotel about 2 km from the epicentre, reached by Reuters, said the tremors were intense though no buildings had collapsed.

Images posted on the microblog of the state-run China Earthquake Networks Center showed goods had fallen off shelves at a supermarket and students lined up in rows on a sports field near their school.

The official Xinhua news agency said Urumqi railway authorities suspended services on some lines for safety checks.

Hutubi, a county of about 200,000 people, according to census figures, has a largely ethnic Han population with significant numbers of members of minorities, including from the Hui and Uighur Muslim groups.

Xinjiang, China's largest region, includes large stretches of desert and mountains, and is a major oil, gas and cotton producer. It is also a hub for trade with neighbouring Central Asia.