A 7.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Wushi county in Aksu Prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at around 2 am Tuesday, causing injury of three people so far.
The epicenter, with a depth of 22 km, was monitored at 41.26 degrees north latitude and 78.63 degrees east longitude, said the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The main quake was followed by a succession of aftershocks as strong as 5.3 in magnitude, according to the CENC. In the past five years, there have been a total of 166 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3 or above within a 200-kilometer radius of the epicenter. The latest earthquake is the largest earthquake so far.
The earthquake has caused injuries to three people. Average altitude within a 5-kilometer radius of the epicenter is approximately 3,048 meters, and the population within a 20-kilometer radius of the epicenter is extremely sparse.
The earthquake caused strong tremors in the surrounding areas. Aksu, Kashi, Korla, Karamay, and other places experienced strong tremors. There have been reports of tremors in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang.
People in several residential areas in the county said their building swayed for about one minute and they quickly evacuated the building. Some residents reported that even the chandeliers in their living rooms fell down. A resident surnamed Liu from Keping county in Aksu Prefecture, said that after the earthquake, many people in the county ran downstairs to take shelter. Some people have even driven their cars to open areas to avoid aftershocks.
After the earthquake, the railway department in Xinjiang immediately activated the emergency plan, blocking the affected sections of the railway line, urgently stopping passenger trains running in that section, and organizing personnel to conduct a comprehensive inspection of railway lines, bridges, signal equipment, station buildings, and other facilities. As of around 4 am, a total of 27 trains were affected by the earthquake.
Ministry of Emergency Management, along with other government bodies, urgently allocated 1,000 cotton tents, 5,000 winter clothing, 5,000 cotton quilts, 5,000 folding beds, and 1,000 heaters and other objects to Wushi county, to ensure the safety and resettlement of affected people.
