A major earthquake struck western China early Friday, but there were no reports of casualties. The 7.2 magnitude quake hit at 6:33 a.m. (2233 GMT Thursday), about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of the city of Hotan in southwest Xinjiang province, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. A spokesman for China's Earthquake Administration confirmed the earthquake, but said it had a 7.3 magnitude. There were no reports of anyone hurt so far, he said, and the area is sparsely populated. There were four aftershocks in the region, ranging from 5.0 to 5.2 magnitude, according to a notice on the Earthquake Administration's Web site.
