BEIJING: Three people were killed and 43 others injured in a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that rocked northwest China's Xinjiang region on Friday, media reported.
The ministry of civil affairs (MCA) on Friday evening revised the toll down to three from the previously announced six, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The MCA has dispatched quake relief materials, including tents, blankets and overcoats.
The quake has affected more than 78,000 people.
Over 66,000 people have been relocated. The direct economic loss due to the major quake has been initially estimated at 190 million yuan ($30.6 million).
The quake rocked Pishan county at 9:07 a.m., followed by several aftershocks.
In the southernmost part of Xinjiang, Pishan is about 1,800 km away from the regional capital of Urumqi and covers 39,700 sq km.
With a population of 258,000, the county is mainly inhabited by the Uyghur ethnic minority