Powerful Earthquake Shakes Western China

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has killed three people and damaged thousands of buildings in western China.

Video footage captures the moment frightened residents dashed into the streets as the powerful quake hit China's rural Xinjiang region.

The epicentre was in Pishan county, 164km (102 miles) northwest of the city of Hotan, according to the US Geological Survey.

It was followed by a series of aftershocks, the strongest measuring 4.8, the USGS said.

"Buildings were trembling and people rushed to the streets," said Jin Xingchang, an express courier in Hotan.

According to Xinjiang's Bureau of Civil Affairs, at least 3,000 buildings, including many traditional houses in the mostly ethnic Uighur region, have been damaged or destroyed.

The dead include a father and son, China's National Emergency Broadcasting said on its website.

The government has announced it is sending 1,000 tents and disaster relief materials to the area.