5.7 magnitude earthquake strikes NE China's Jilin

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit Ningjiang District in Songyuan, Northeast China's Jilin province, early Monday morning, according to the Beijing-based China Earthquake Networks Center.

The epicenter was monitored at 45.27 degrees north latitude and 124.71 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 13 kilometers, the center said.

No casualties were reported after the earthquake, which occurred at 1:50 am, but it damaged more than 1,500 households in the district, according to the Publicity Department of the CPC Songyuan Committee.

"I was sleeping at that time and was awakened by a frightful sound," said Wang Hongwei, 44, in Yamutu village. "At first I thought it was thunder and then I realized that it was an earthquake because of the violent shaking of the house."

"We are not injured, but dare not enter our home again," she said. "The main wall of the house has gaped and several pits can be seen around the house."

"More than 20 rescuers have arrived at the village, where the homes of 50 households were damaged," An Pinglai, deputy head of the district, told Xinhua. "Tents and some other relief goods, including folding beds, bottled water and instant food, also are being sent to the village."

When the earthquake struck, residents in many other cities in Jilin and neighboring Heilongjiang province felt strong tremors, and many people rushed out to the streets.

Ge Yujing, 26, a first-year graduate student at Heilongjiang University in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, said she was awakened by her two roommates.

"We began to rush out of the dormitory building and the corridor was full of girls running outside," she said. "And when we arrived at the small square in front of the building, there were hundreds of people."

"Most students were wearing pajamas and some of them were wrapped in quilts," she said. "About 30 minutes later, nothing unusual happened and we returned to our dormitories."