A magnitude 5.8 earthquake rocked Akqi County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Sunday afternoon, giving locals quite a shake! 😮 Thankfully, no casualties have been reported so far. 🙏
The quake struck at 12:14 p.m. Beijing Time, with the epicenter located at 41.15 degrees north latitude and 78.41 degrees east longitude, about 24 km from Akqi's county seat and 68 km from Wushi County. Even though the area around the epicenter isn't heavily populated, residents in both Akqi and Wushi felt the tremors strongly.
\"The furniture in my house was visibly shaking, and I could feel the ground moving when I ran into the yard,\" recalled an Akqi resident living on the fourth floor. \"I feel a little scared after two consecutive days of earthquakes with magnitudes over 5.\"
Local authorities confirmed that as of 1 p.m., there have been no reports of casualties or collapsed houses. The power grid is functioning normally, and trains are running smoothly. 🚆⚡ Life goes on!
This isn't the first shake-up for the region. On Saturday morning, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake also hit Akqi County. Back in January, a massive magnitude 7.1 quake jolted neighboring Wushi County. Talk about a shaky start to the year! 😅
Experts like Gao Mengtan from the Institute of Geophysics of China Earthquake Administration note that after a major quake, aftershocks can last from one to several months, gradually decreasing in frequency.
Stay safe out there, everyone! And remember, if you feel the ground shaking, drop, cover, and hold on! 🛡️
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
