Strong earthquake jolts Central Asia

A strong earthquake struck Central Asia yesterday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials and witnesses said.

The quake jolted an area between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most densely populated corner prone to ethnic tension and instability.

The earthquake was felt throughout the region, mainly in Kyrgyzstan, but there were conflicting reports about the magnitude and epicentre.

The US Geological Survey reported that a 6.3-magnitude tremor struck 55 kilometres east of Sary-Tash near the borders of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan at 9.52 p.m. (1552 GMT).

The Kyrgyz Emergencies Ministry said a quake measuring about eight on a 12-point scale of earthquake intensity hit a remote part of Tajikistan and jolted an area near Kyrgyzstan's second-biggest city, Osh.

"There are no reports of casualties or destruction. We are checking all information," Ramis Satybekov, an Emergencies Ministry official, told Reuters by telephone from Osh.

A Tajik earthquake detection centre said the quake struck on the border between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.

The governor of Kyrgyzstan's Osh region, speaking to Reuters by telephone, said: "Everyone has been mobilised and we are checking all the sites."