Xinhua and People’s News reported that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the early morning of the 23rd, causing houses and buildings to collapse and many people to be injured.
According to the media, rescue operations were underway as a strong earthquake struck the area of Wu County, Aksu District, Xinjiang Autonomous Region at 2:09 a.m. (3:09 a.m. Korean time), followed by 37 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or higher. It is becoming.
In Ahechi County, which is adjacent to Wu County, power supply was cut off, resulting in a power outage, and emergency recovery work is underway.
China’s State Council Earthquake Response Command Office and Emergency Management Department immediately issued a three-level emergency response, dispatched a working command team and rescue team to the scene, and dispatched a rescue aircraft.
In addition, about 1,300 local firefighters and rescue workers from Xinjiang Autonomous Region, 153 rescue vehicles including fire trucks, and 7 search dogs were dispatched.
It is said that earthquake rescue teams from neighboring Tibet Autonomous Region and Gansu Province are on their way to the scene.
The area around the epicenter is a rugged mountainous area with an average altitude of more than 3,000 meters, so it is taking time to assess the damage because residential areas are far away.
First, three people were injured and taken to the hospital in Kulansarke Township, Aheqi County, Kerzlesu Autonomous Prefecture, 26km away from the earthquake site.
Although there have been no reports of deaths yet, the media pointed out that considering the scale of the earthquake, there are concerns about significant casualties and property damage even in sparsely populated areas.
According to the Chinese Earthquake Network, the epicenter of this strong earthquake was 41.26 degrees north latitude, 78.63 degrees east longitude, and the epicenter was 22 km deep.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that the magnitude of the earthquake was 7.0 and that the epicenter was close to the surface at 41.269 degrees north latitude, 78.649 degrees east longitude, and an epicenter depth of 13.0 km.
Previously, on December 18 last year, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred in Jishishan County, Linxia Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, bordering Xinjiang, killing 151 people, injuring 979, and causing tens of thousands of victims.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.