Early Tuesday morning (January 23), a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook Wushi County in the Aksu Prefecture of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 🌏. The quake struck at 2:09 a.m. Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The epicenter was located at a depth of 22 kilometers, monitored at 41.26°N latitude and 78.63°E longitude. The main quake was followed by several aftershocks, the strongest of which reached a magnitude of 5.3, keeping residents on edge.
The tremor's epicenter was situated in a township in Wushi County, near the mountainous border between China and Kyrgyzstan. It's approximately 50 kilometers from the county seat of Wushi, with five villages within a 20-kilometer radius.
As of 3 a.m., two residential houses and some livestock sheds had collapsed, but thankfully, no casualties have been reported 🙏. Some areas experienced temporary power outages, but electricity is being gradually restored.
The quake was felt across Xinjiang, including in major cities like Urumqi, Hotan, and Kashgar. Residents in Urumqi said they felt the shaking even on the 17th floor of buildings 😲.
Emergency response teams swung into action immediately. The Wushi County fire and rescue brigade dispatched an advance team of 10 people to the affected area 🚒. The Aksu Prefecture fire and rescue detachment also mobilized 60 personnel to reach the epicenter.
In total, 182 vehicles, 800 people, and 32 rescue dogs are on standby, ready to assist in disaster relief efforts, according to the Xinjiang Regional Fire and Rescue Department 🐕🦺.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this earthquake, and we hope for their safety and a swift recovery 💙.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
