In a seismic event that sent shockwaves through the region, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale struck China's Southern Xinjiang region late on Monday night.
The National Center for Seismology reported the earthquake occurring at 23:39:11 IST, with its epicenter located in Southern Xinjiang, China, at a depth of 80 kilometers.
The tremors were strongly felt in the Delhi-National Capital Region, causing concern and prompting residents to seek safety. The aftermath of the earthquake has already left several injured individuals, and reports indicate that some houses have collapsed along the China-Kyrgyzstan border.
The Xinjiang railway department took immediate action, halting operations and suspending 27 trains following the seismic event.
Chinese media revealed that the epicenter, situated in Wushi County, experienced as many as 14 aftershocks, with the largest recorded at a magnitude of 5.3 and located approximately 17 kilometers away.
The impact of the quake reached beyond the immediate vicinity, with local authorities in Kyrgyzstan reporting injuries along their side of the border.
As the clock struck 2:00 am in China's Xinjiang region, a 7.0-magnitude aftershock hit the mountainous China-Kyrgyzstan border.
The quake caused significant damage, with two residential houses and livestock sheds collapsing in rural Wushi County. At least three people have been reported injured, prompting authorities to dispatch a disaster relief team to the affected areas.
Video footage circulating on social media platforms captured the chaos as household appliances crashed to the floor, and citizens fled their homes for safety.
In Aksu, a resident described the intense shaking that led people to seek refuge despite freezing temperatures. Reports from Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, confirmed the impact of the earthquake, causing walls to shake and furniture to shift.
While no casualties or damage have been reported in Bishkek, neighboring villages in China and Kazakhstan have experienced the tremors.
A series of small aftershocks, some with magnitudes as high as 5.5, followed the initial earthquake. In Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, citizens streamed outside as a precautionary measure.
This seismic event comes just a day after a devastating landslide in southwest China claimed lives and buried dozens of people. The region is still grappling with the aftermath of a December earthquake in northwest China, which resulted in casualties and displaced thousands.
