BEIJING, Feb. 11 -- No casualties have been reported in a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that hit northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Tuesday morning, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

An estimated 700 people have been affected by the quake over an area of around 5,300 square kilometers, the ministry announced.

The quake struck Yutian County in the prefecture of Hotan at 10:14 a.m. Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Only a few houses may have been damaged or collapsed.

The epicenter, at a depth of 11 km, was monitored at about 36.1 degrees north and 82.4 degrees east, the center said.