BEIJING (REUTERS) - A rare small earthquake rattled Beijing on Monday (Feb 12), centred in an area just south of the city in the neighbouring province of Hebei.

The government said the 4.3 magnitude quake's epicentre was in a county that is part of Hebei's Langfang city.

There were no immediate reports of any damage. Buildings in Beijing shook very slightly.

China is frequently hit by earthquakes, many centred in the south-west of the country.

Northern China is much more rarely affected although in 1976, the Tangshan earthquake, just to the east of Beijing, killed up to 300,000 people.