A 5.5-magnitude earthquake was reported in China on Thursday (October 9), according to the United States Geological Survey.
The earthquake was centered in Xinlong, about 130 miles north of Daocheng, at a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles). The USGS said it received five reports of people having felt the earthquake.
The China Earthquake Administration launched a Level IV emergency service for the earthquake, which was reported to have hit at around 1:17 p.m. local time, according to China Daily. There was no reported damage to critical infrastructure, power or transportation near the epicenter, according to local authorities.
Emergency management and earthquake administrations teams were sent to conduct on-site investigations of the earthquake following its initial report. China is one of the countries most prone to earthquakes as it's located on the 'Ring of Fire' region where earthquakes commonly occur in the Pacific.
The China earthquake was reported two days after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake was reported in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday (October 7), according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake was centered about 16 miles west-southwest of Lae at a depth of 99.4 kilometers (about 62 miles).
Lae police official Mildred Ongige told Reuters that a "very huge" earthquake was felt within the city, which has an estimated population exceeding 76,000.
"It was a few minutes ago so we have no further details of damage but we are concerned," she added.