BEIJING, Feb. 12 -- A 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted northwest China's Xinjiang region at 5:19 p.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time), according to official readings by the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The epicenter, with a depth of 12 km, was located at Yutian county in southwest Xinjiang, or about 36.1 degrees north latitude and 82.5 degrees east longitude, the center said in a statement.

An ensuing 5.7-magnitude quake hit the same area at 5:24 p.m. with a depth of 5 km, followed by several quakes below 5-magnitude, the center added.

No immediate casualties or damage have been reported. The area is sparsely-populated mostly by Uygurs.