Chinese official media said that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake slammed the border region between Kyrgyzstan and Xinjiang on Tuesday, resulting in multiple injuries and demolished houses.
The China Earthquake Administration reports that the epicenter of the earthquake occurred at 2:09 a.m. (1809 GMT) and at a depth of 22 km (13 miles) in the hilly border area of Wushi County in the Xinjiang province of northwest China.
The epicenter is roughly 50 km (31 miles) from Wushi, according to the Xinjiang Earthquake Agency, and five villages are located within a 20 km (12 mile) radius of the earthquake, as reported by Xinhua News. By 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), the China Earthquake Networks Center recorded 40 aftershocks.
Users of the Chinese social networking site Weibo reported that the earthquake was felt most strongly in Yining, Urumqi, Korla, Kashgar, and the neighboring districts. According to Xinhua, the Xinjiang railway department quickly suspended operations, affecting 27 trains.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Office of the Earthquake Relief Headquarters, China’s Earthquake Administration promptly initiated emergency response services. They sent out a team to direct neighborhood rescue operations.
Relief operations were coordinated by multiple ministries, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, which also provided cotton tents, coats, comforters, mattresses, folding beds, and heating stoves, Xinhua reported.
Xinjiang has seen many significant earthquakes in the last 24 hours. The most recent earthquake in neighboring Kazakhstan, with a magnitude of 6.7, was recorded by the emergency ministry.
Despite the cold, people flocked outside the houses in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, with some even dressing in pajamas and slippers. There are no reports of damage. Uzbekistan too experienced the tremors and aftershocks approximately thirty minutes later.
