BEIJING: The US Geological Survey warned that Tuesday’s strong 7.0-magnitude earthquake along the China-Kyrgyzstan border could result in significant damage.
TV stations in New Delhi, India, stated that although the earthquake occurred 1,400 kilometers away, residents there reported feeling severe shocks.
The earthquake happened 140 kilometers west of Aksu at a depth of 27 kilometers, and it was felt at 2:00 am local time in the Xinjiang province of China.
Three further earthquakes, with magnitudes of 5.5, 5.1, and 5.0, were felt in the vicinity not long after.
Although no injuries had been reported at the time of the earthquake in the rural, hilly area, the USGS warned that they could have occurred.
“Significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread,” the report stated.
The earthquake on Tuesday occurred one day after a landslide in southwest China left dozens of people buried and at least eight dead.
A December earthquake in Gansu province, in the northwest of the country, left thousands of people homeless and claimed 148 lives.
Since 2014, when more than 600 people perished in the southwest Yunnan province, the earthquake has been China’s deadliest.
Surviving the December earthquake in bitter cold, people crowded around outside fires for warmth during the relief effort that was undertaken in response.
