A magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck a remote region of western China, injuring at least 17 people.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit Saturday morning in China's northern Xinjiang region, at a shallow depth of 18 kilometers. The USGS said a 6.3 quake is capable of causing severe damage, but it hit in a sparsely populated region.

China's official Xinhua news agency said most of the people injured were tourists.

Some houses also collapsed near the epicenter about 99 kilometers south of Dushanzi, China.