M7.0 Earthquake Hits China & Kyrgyzstan Border - Jan. 23, 2024

Three people have died after a earthquake rocked a mountainous and remote part of China’s far western Xinjiang region early Tuesday. State broadcaster CCTV reported that a further five people were injured and 12,426 evacuated from affected areas. The quake struck Wushi county, also known as Uqturpan county, in Aksu prefecture near the Kyrgyzstan border shortly after 2 a.m. local time, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Strong tremors caused two houses to collapse and downed two major power lines near the epicenter, though electricity was quickly restored, according to Xinhua, and tremors were felt in Central Asian countries hundreds of miles away. Rescue missions are taking place in cold weather with temperatures expected to reach minus 23 degrees Celsius (minus 9.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in Wushi county in the next three days, China’s Meteorological Agency said Tuesday. The Xinjiang railway authority immediately sealed off routes in areas affected by the quake and suspended 27 trains, Xinhua reported. Three people were hospitalized in a township 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the epicenter, state broadcaster CCTV reported. A child was rescued from the rubble of their house in that township, the broadcaster said. Nearly 200 rescue workers have been dispatched to the quake zone, and hundreds more are being assembled, Xinhua reported. More than 50 aftershocks above magnitude 3 were reported as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to the state-run China Earthquake Networks Center. Read more: #earthquake #地震 #kyrgyzstan