A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the border region between China and Kyrgyzstan.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor, which originated in China’s Xinjiang region at 2:00 a.m. local time, was centred 140 kilometres west of Aksu, at a depth of 27 kilometres. The impact was felt as far as New Delhi, India, approximately 1,400 kilometres away, where residents experienced strong tremors.
Following the initial quake, three subsequent earthquakes, with magnitudes of 5.5, 5.1, and 5.0, were experienced. The USGS has warned of potential casualties and significant damage, especially in the quake’s mountainous and rural epicentre. The report suggests a widespread disaster is likely.
This seismic event occurred just a day after a landslide in southwest China claimed at least eight lives and buried dozens.
In a similar incident last December, a quake in northwest China’s Gansu province resulted in 148 fatalities and displaced thousands, marking it as the country’s deadliest earthquake since 2014, when over 600 people died in Yunnan province. The December earthquake’s challenges were compounded by subzero temperatures, making the aid operations particularly difficult as survivors sought warmth around outdoor fires.
