7.1 magnitude earthquake jolts China's Xinjiang, tremors felt in Delhi-NCR

Earthquake of 7.1 magnitude jolted the Kyrgyzstan-Xinjiang border region on Tuesday, leaving several injured and collapsed houses. According to the China Earthquake Administration, the epicenter, with a depth of 22 km, jolted mountainous border area of Wushi county in Aksu Prefecture in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region around 2 am Tuesday (11:30 pm Monday IST), causing injury of six people so far. The main quake was followed by a succession of at least 40 aftershocks as strong as 5.3 in magnitude, China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said. It said the largest quake in the area in the past century. 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. A report by Global Times cited people in several residential areas in the county saying their building swayed for about one minute and they quickly evacuated their house. Some residents even said the chandeliers in their living rooms fell down.

Rescue forces have rushed to the epicenter after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake jolted Wushi County in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Relief materials including cold-proof clothing, folding beds and heaters have been allocated to the affected area. https://t.co/iOoJ89ZMr0 pic.twitter.com/E7PGWRBHIj

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) January 23, 2024

After the calamity, the railway department in Xinjiang immediately activated the emergency plan and blocked the affected sections of the railway line. Passenger trains were urgently stopped in that section, and inspection of railway lines, bridges, signal equipment, station buildings, and other facilities were initiated. A total of 27 trains were affected by the earthquake. Meanwhile, the National Health Commission has immediately contacted the local health commission to arrange for medical support. A report by Xinhua mentioned China’s Ministry of Emergency Management saying several departments coordinated relief efforts, providing cotton tents, coats, quilts, mattresses, folding beds and heating stoves. Tremors felt in Delhi-NCR Strong tremors were felt in the Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) after an earthquake struck China’s Xinjiang region. Earthquake of 6.7 magnitude was also reported in Kazakhstan. In the country’s biggest city Almaty, residents fled their houses and gathered outside despite cold weather. No damage has been reported. Tremors were felt as far away in Kyrgyzstan. With inputs from agencies