Six injured after 7.1-mgnitude earthquake hits western China, many homes damaged

Representative Image/ AFP

A severe earthquake of a magnitude of 7.2 struck Uchturpan County in China's Xinjiang province, injuring six people and damaging or destroying around 120 homes. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region government claimed on its official Weibo account that two people were seriously injured and four were minorly injured. Furthermore, 47 dwellings fell, 78 homes were damaged, and some agricultural facilities were damaged, reported the Associated Press.

The earthquake struck Uchturpan County, commonly called Wushi County in Mandarin, in Aksu Prefecture early Tuesday morning. The China Earthquake Networks Centre reported the seismic occurrence, which prompted the dispatch of approximately 200 rescuers to the epicentre for aid.

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According to the report, power lines were disrupted, however, Aksu authorities reported fast restoration operations. The Urumqi Railroad Bureau began operations following safety inspections that affected 23 trains.

The earthquake, which occurred in the seismically active Tian Shan mountain range, was reported by the US Geological Survey at 7.0 magnitude. The primary tremor was followed by multiple aftershocks, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 5.3.

The rural Uyghur population, which is subject to governmental propaganda and militarism, encountered hardships as temperatures dropped below freezing. Rescue operations and military engagement were visible in the region, to clear rubble and provide refuge to individuals who had been displaced, the AP report added.

According to the report, the vibrations spread to Yunnan province in southwest China, where rescue operations were ongoing after a landslide buried a community on Monday. Eleven bodies were recovered, and two survivors were discovered among the 47 persons who had been impacted.

The earthquake had a tremendous impact on residents in Xinjiang as well as neighbouring Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. People fled their homes in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and lessons were cancelled in both Xinjiang and Kazakhstan to help them recuperate from the shock, it further stated.

China, which is prone to earthquakes in its western parts, has experienced major seismic activity in the past, with the Gansu quake in December 2022 being the deadliest in nine years. The earthquake in Sichuan in 2008 caused significant casualties, forcing long-term efforts to rebuild with earthquake-resistant materials.