7.1-magnitude earthquake hits China’s Xinjiang, damaging 120 homes

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

On Tuesday morning, a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit a remote area in China’s western region of Xinjiang, resulting in injuries to six individuals and causing significant damage to over 120 homes amidst extremely cold conditions, as reported by local authorities.

The seismic event occurred in Uchturpan county, also known as Wushi county in Mandarin, within the Aksu prefecture just after 2 a.m., according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Approximately 200 rescue personnel were sent to the quake’s center.

The earthquake resulted in two serious injuries and four minor injuries. Additionally, it led to the collapse of 47 houses and damage to 78 others, along with the destruction of some agricultural buildings, as stated by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region’s government on its Weibo account.

Following the quake, power lines were downed, but electricity was swiftly restored by the authorities in Aksu. Uchturpan county, a mountainous area, had a population of about 233,000 in 2022, per Xinjiang’s records.

Train services, suspended by the Urumqi Railroad Bureau, resumed after 7 a.m. once safety inspections confirmed the rail lines were unaffected. The suspension had impacted 23 trains, as mentioned by the bureau on its Weibo account.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake to be of 7.0 magnitude, occurring in the seismically active Tian Shan mountain range. The largest quake in this region in the last century, also 7.1 magnitude, happened in 1978, about 200 kilometers north of Tuesday’s epicenter.

Several aftershocks were detected, with the strongest being of 5.3 magnitude.

The predominantly Muslim Uyghur community, a Turkic ethnic group, primarily inhabits this rural area. The community has faced state-led efforts at forced assimilation and widespread detention.

Currently, Uchturpan county is experiencing extreme cold, with temperatures dropping to as low as -18 degrees Celsius, as forecasted by the China Meteorological Administration. This winter, northern and central China have faced severe cold spells, leading to multiple school and highway closures due to snowstorms.

In a separate incident in Yunnan province, southwestern China, rescue teams continued to search for victims of a landslide in Liangshui village. So far, eleven fatalities have been confirmed, and two survivors have been rescued from the landslide, which buried 47 people in 18 homes amidst snowy and cold conditions.

The quake’s tremors were felt across vast distances. In Tacheng, 600 kilometers from the epicenter, pet shop owner Ma Shengyi, 30, reported her dogs barking before feeling her building shake. The quake’s intensity prompted her and her neighbors to evacuate.

Xinhua News Agency reported that chandeliers swayed and buildings were evacuated, with a media office building near the epicenter shaking for a full minute. Social media videos showed residents outside in winter attire, and a CCTV photo displayed a cracked, partially collapsed wall.

The quake’s effects were felt throughout Xinjiang and even in neighboring countries like Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tass news agency reported people leaving their homes. Videos on Telegram showed residents in Almaty evacuating apartment buildings and gathering outside in the cold, some in shorts.

Western China, including regions like Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, Xinjiang, and Tibet, frequently experiences earthquakes.

In December, an earthquake in Gansu claimed 151 lives, marking it as China’s deadliest earthquake in nine years.

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