Top Asian News 4:56 a.m. GMT

7.1 magnitude earthquake rattles part of western China, injuring 6 people and collapsing 47 homes

BEIJING (AP) — A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck a sparsely populated part of China’s western Xinjiang region early Tuesday, injuring six people and damaging or collapsing more than 120 homes in freezing cold weather, authorities said. The quake was the latest in a series of seismic events and natural disasters to hit the vast country's western regions. The quake rocked Uchturpan county in Aksu prefecture shortly after 2 a.m., the China Earthquake Networks Center said. Around 200 rescuers were dispatched to the epicenter. The county is called Wushi in the Mandarin language spoken by most Chinese. Of the six people hurt, two had serious injuries and four were minor.