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July 1, 2012

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41 hurt as 6.6-magnitude earthquake hits Xinjiang

MORE than 41 people were injured, including one in a critical condition, after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region early yesterday morning.

No fatalities were reported, said China Network Television (CNTV).

The earthquake struck a mountainous area along the border of Hejing and Xinyuan counties shortly after 5am, toppling at least 1,969 houses and damaging 11,300 others.

Almost 360 domestic animals were reported killed as more than 1,560 livestock sheds collapsed.

As many as 189 aftershocks were felt, the strongest recorded at 4.2-magnitude, reported Xinhua News Agency.

The China Earthquake Networks Center launched a level-three emergency response following the quake, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs has dispatched 2,500 tents and 12,500 quilts to quake-hit areas, Xinhua said.

'Become stronger'

"At first, it wasn't shaking so badly and I thought it might be some big vehicles driving by," a resident in Urumqi, the region's biggest city and capital, told CCTV yesterday.

"But then I went to the window and saw no heavy trucks, by which time, the quake had become stronger."

Householders awoken by the quake rushed onto the streets, fearful of their homes collapsing.

"My wife's cosmetics were shaking on the table," another resident told CCTV. "I alerted my wife, kid and neighbors and we ran downstairs."

The earthquake caused power failures, including in parts of Urumqi.

The quake also triggered landslides and caused cave-ins on highways in Xinjiang.

One landslide on National Highway 217 Xinyuan County section left around 120 people trapped in vehicles, Xinhua reported.

About 70 police officers were dispatched to the scene for rescue work.

Detailed reports of damage and losses caused by the quake are still being compiled, the ministry said.

The quake-hit region, 3,500 meters above sea level, has a long history of geologically activity.


 

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