3 killed as earthquake hits Xinjiang
THREE people died and 43 others were injured when a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region yesterday.
The quake rocked Pishan County of Hotan Prefecture at 9:07am, with the epicenter recorded at 37.6 degrees north and 78.2 degrees east, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The jolt, at a depth of 10 kilometers, destroyed around 3,000 houses and disrupted communications, local officials said.
An airport in Hotan has been closed, the China Earthquake Administration said in a brief statement on its website, quoting reports from the local earthquake administration.
Li Hua, a farm worker in Pishan, told reporters he was left feeling dizzy after the earthquake caused his fourth-floor home to shake for about a minute.
Located in southernmost Xinjiang, Pishan is about 1,800 kilometers from the regional capital of Urumqi.
Pan Huaiwen, director of the earthquake center, said the death toll, which could rise, would not be large given the local population density of around four people per square kilometer in the 50 square kilometer scope of the epicenter.
Shortly after the quake, the area was hit by smaller tremors measuring between 3.0 and 4.6 magnitude, the center said.
Jiang Haikun, director of the center’s forecasting department, said the quake is not likely to trigger an aftershock with a magnitude higher than 6.5, but aftershocks around 5 are likely.
Jiang said the quake was a result of the release of stress in the region and was not triggered by the Nepal earthquake in April.
Chinese authorities have launched a grade-4 emergency response. The lowest level in China’s emergency response system, this means a 24-hour alert, daily damage reports, and dispatching money and relief materials within 48 hours.
Some reports said the alert was later upgraded to grade 2.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction have sent in relief teams. The ministry said more than 66,000 people have been relocated.
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