Rare quake jolts central US

WASHINGTON—A rare 5.3 magnitude earthquake jolted residents in the mountainous area on the border between the US states of Colorado and New Mexico, the US Geological Survey reported Tuesday.

The quake, which struck just before midnight Monday local time (0546 GMT Tuesday) had an epicenter located 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Denver, Colorado at a depth of four kilometers (2.5 miles), the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado reported.

Early local news reports from the sparsely-populated area mention damaged highways, some damaged buildings and debris sliding onto roads, but no casualties.