"Buildings were trembling and people rushed to the streets," said Jin Xingchang, an express courier in Hotan city, about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Pishan.
Authorities estimated economic losses from the quake were at least $30 million, the People`s Daily newspaper reported.
The mostly ethnic Muslim Uighur area of Pishan is at the southern edge of the Taklamakan desert near the border with India, and is rich in mineral resources including coal, crude oil, natural gas and jade.
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