BEIJING, July 24, 2008 (AFP) - A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China early Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, striking the area devastated by a massive tremor in May.

The quake struck 48 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Guangyuan in Sichuan province at 03:54 am (1954 GMT Wednesday), the USGS said. It hit at a depth of 10 kilometres.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The May 12 quake, which measured 8.0 on the Richter scale, devastated wide swathes of Sichuan province, leaving nearly 70,000 people dead with thousands more missing.