Beijing (AP): A strong overnight earthquake shook a sparsely populated area in western China early Saturday and forced the suspension of high-speed rail service because of tunnel damage, authorities said.

Four people with minor injuries in Menyuan Hui Autonomous County had been treated and released, they said at a news conference.

The magnitude 6.9 quake struck at 1:45 a.m. in a mountainous part of Qinghai province that is 3,659 meters (12,000 feet) above sea level. It was felt 140 kilometers (85 miles) southeast in Xining, the provincial capital, where some people rushed outside of homes and buildings.

Nighttime video posted online by CGTN, the overseas arm of state broadcaster CCTV, showed furniture and ceiling lamps swaying and livestock suddenly standing up and moving in its pen. Photos from the state-owned China News Service showed scattered damage to homes including a broken window and wall tiles and a large ceiling section that had fallen.

There are five villages within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Service on some sections of a high-speed rail line from Lanzhou in Gansu province to the Xinjiang region was halted because of damage to several tunnels, Xinhua said. Some lines between Qinghai and Tibet were closed and inspectors were sent to check the tracks.

Rescue and firefighting teams in Qinghai and neighbouring Gansu province have sent about 500 rescuers to the epicenter, the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management said in an online statement. Another 2,260 rescuers from neighboring provinces were on standby.

The ministry and the China Earthquake Administration dispatched a team to Qinghai to help investigate the situation and resettle any affected residents. (AP)

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Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Odisha Vigilance department has detected several assets, including Rs 75 lakh cash, three buildings, a flat, and four high-value plots from the possession of an additional tahasildar, an officer said.

Acting on the allegation of possession of disproportionate assets (DA) to the known sources of income, vigilance officers launched raids on the properties of the additional tahasildar, Barang, in Cuttack district this morning.

So far, two triple-storeyed buildings and a flat in Bhubaneswar, one double-storeyed building in Khurda, Rs 75 lakh cash, 100 gram gold, and a car were found during the raids, the vigilance officer said, adding that search is going on.

The revenue officer joined government service in 1995 as a senior laboratory assistant in the office of director of animal husbandry and veterinary services, Cuttack, on a rehabilitation scheme with a monthly initial salary of Rs 2,000, he said.

Similarly, the anti-corruption officers conducted raids on the properties of a panchayat extension officer (PEO) at six places in Keonjhar district.