Quake jolts China's Sichuan, damaging houses

Beijing: A small earthquake on Tuesday damaged thousands of houses in China's Sichuan province, where an 8.0 magnitude quake last year killed more than 80,000 people.

Nearly 9,000 houses and parts of local roads were damaged in the earthquake in Mianzhu, north of Chengdu, China National Radio reported on its website. No casualties were reported.

The US Geological Survey put the size of the quake at magnitude 5.1 and a depth 22 miles. Xinhua news agency quoted the national seismological network as saying the magnitude was 5.6 and the depth was 20 kms.