A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck China’s northwestern province of Qinghai on Monday, the US Geological Survey reported, in an area frequently plagued with seismic activity. 

The quake was 32 kilometres (20 mils) deep, USGS said, with its epicentre in Yushu prefecture -- where a 6.9 magnitude quake in 2010 left 3,000 people dead.