Powerful 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits China’s Southern Xinjiang

(CTN News) – A massive earthquake of 7.2 on the Richter scale struck China’s Southern Xinjiang province late Monday night, sending shockwaves throughout the area.

The National Centre for Seismology reported that the earthquake occurred at 23:39:11 IST, with its epicentre at 80 kilometres depth in Southern Xinjiang, China.

The earthquakes were felt powerfully in the Delhi-National Capital Region, raising concerns and pushing citizens to seek shelter. Several people have already been hurt as a result of the earthquake, and indications indicate that some houses have collapsed along the China-Kyrgyzstan border.

Following the seismic occurrence, the Xinjiang Railway Department immediately halted operations and suspended 27 trains.

According to Chinese media, the epicentre in Wushi County experienced up to 14 aftershocks, the greatest of which measured 5.3 and was located about 17 kilometres away.

The quake’s impact extended beyond the surrounding vicinity, with Kyrgyz authorities reporting injuries on their side of the border.

At 2:00 a.m. in China’s Xinjiang province, a 7.0-magnitude aftershock rocked the rugged China-Kyrgyzstan border.

The quake caused severe damage, resulting in the collapse of two residential dwellings and cattle sheds in rural Wushi County. At least three people have been reported injured, forcing authorities to send out a disaster aid team to the impacted districts.

Video circulating on social media sites caught the commotion as household appliances tumbled to the ground and residents ran for safety.

A resident of Aksu recalled the strong shaking that drove people to seek shelter despite the frigid conditions. According to reports from Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, the earthquake shook walls and shifted furniture.

While no injuries or damage have been recorded in Bishkek, nearby communities in China and Kazakhstan have felt the tremors.

Following the first earthquake, a succession of modest aftershocks occurred, some of which had magnitudes as high as 5.5. Citizens in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, poured outside as a precaution.

This seismic event occurred just one day after a disastrous landslip in southwest China killed and buried hundreds of people. The region is still dealing with the consequences of a December earthquake in northwest China, which killed and displaced hundreds.