File photo: CGTN

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Kuqa County of Aksu Prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China at 4:32 p.m. Thursday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The epicenter was monitored at 41.21 degrees north latitude and 83.6 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 16 km, the center said in a statement.