A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck a remote part of China’s western Xinjiang region early Tuesday, downing power lines, destroying at least two homes and prompting authorities to suspend trains, state media reported.
Quick Read
- Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake in Xinjiang, China: A powerful earthquake hit Xinjiang region early Tuesday, causing property damage and train suspensions.
- Early Morning Quake in Uchturpan County: Struck shortly after 2 a.m. in Uchturpan county, also known as Wushi county.
- Damage and Response: Two homes collapsed; approximately 200 emergency rescuers were deployed. The Xinjiang railway authority suspended numerous trains and sealed affected sections.
- Infrastructure Impact: Power lines were downed, but electricity was quickly restored.
- No Fatalities Reported: There were no immediate reports of deaths due to the earthquake.
- Historical Seismic Activity: The US Geological Survey noted the Tian Shan mountain range is seismically active; the last major quake in the area was in 1978.
- Aftershocks Recorded: CCTV reported 14 aftershocks, including two above magnitude 5.
- Affected Population: The quake struck a rural area predominantly inhabited by the Uyghurs.
- Harsh Weather Conditions: Uchturpan county experiencing sub-zero temperatures, exacerbating the quake’s impact.
- Regional and International Impact: Tremors felt in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan; people in Almaty evacuated buildings due to strong tremors.
- Previous Earthquakes in China: References a deadly earthquake in Gansu province in December; most Chinese earthquakes occur in the western part of the country.
The Associated Press has the story:
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake strikes remote western China, state media says
Newslooks- BEIJING (AP) —
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck a remote part of China’s western Xinjiang region early Tuesday, downing power lines, destroying at least two homes and prompting authorities to suspend trains, state media reported.
Xinhua News Agency cited the China Earthquake Networks Center as saying the quake rocked Uchturpan county (Wushi county in Mandarin) in Aksu prefecture shortly after 2 a.m. local time.
Two houses collapsed, Aksu authorities said, and around 200 emergency rescuers were dispatched to the quake’s epicenter, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The Xinjiang railway authority suspended dozens of trains in the region and sealed off the affected sections, CCTV reported. The quake downed power lines but electricity was quickly restored to the region, Aksu authorities reported.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred in the Tian Shan mountain range, “a seismically active region, though earthquakes of this size occur somewhat infrequently.” It said the largest quake in the area in the past century was a 7.1-magnitude one in 1978 about 200 kilometers to the north of one early Tuesday.
State broadcaster CCTV said there were 14 aftershocks since the main quake, with two registering above 5 magnitude.
The earthquake struck in a rural area populated mostly by Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnicity that is predominantly Muslim and has been the target of a state campaign of forced assimilation and mass detention in recent years.
Uchturpan county at the quake’s epicenter is recording temperatures well below zero, with lows of up to negative 18 degrees C (just below zero F) forecast by the China Meteorological Administration this week. Parts of northern and central China have shivered under frigid cold snaps this winter, with authorities closing schools and highways several times due to snowstorms.
A video posted by a Chinese internet user on Weibo showed residents standing outside on the streets bundled in winter jackets, and a photo posted by CCTV showed a cracked wall with chunks fallen off.
Tremors were felt as far away as the neighboring countries Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In the Kazakh capital of Almaty, people left their homes, the Russian news agency Tass reported.
Videos posted on the social messaging platform Telegram showed people in Almaty running down the stairs of apartment blocks and standing outside in the street after they felt strong tremors. Some people appeared to have left their homes quickly and were pictured standing outside in freezing temperatures in shorts.
An earthquake shook China’s northwestern Gansu province in December, killing 151 people. It was the deadliest earthquake in China in nine years.
Most of China’s earthquakes strike in the western part of the country, including Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, as well as the Xinjiang region and Tibet.
