The quake was felt in Beijing, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The Hebei provincial seismological bureau said on its website that the earthquake hit at 4.35 pm (0935 GMT) in Luan county, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of the Chinese capital.

"We don't believe this sort of quake would cause major damage or casualties, in our experience," said a spokesman at the State Seismological Bureau.

The China News Service said the tremor was felt by workers in high rise buildings in Beijing.

The epicenter was some 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Tangshan, which in 1976 was flattened by a 7.8 magnitude quake, killing 242,000 people.

"It is an aftershock of the Tangshan earthquake," said Liu Wansheng of the Luan seismological bureau.

"So far there have been no reports of casualties or damages."

A mild earthquake that jolted the Chinese port city of Tianjin last month was also described as an aftershock of Tangshan. No damage or casualties were reported in that instance.

(China Daily January 21, 2004)