Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Strikes Tajikistan-China Border Region (Comprehensive)

Aftershock Occurs 20 Minutes After Initial Earthquake

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yoo-jin] A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the border area between China and Tajikistan in Central Asia, just before the aftermath of the earthquake that hit T?rkiye (Turkey) and Syria had subsided. No casualties or human damage have been reported yet.

At around 8:37 a.m. on the 23rd, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred in the area adjacent to China in Tajikistan, according to Chinese state-run CCTV and other authorities.

The epicenter of this earthquake was located within Tajikistan, about 82 km away from the Chinese border, at 37.98 degrees north latitude and 73.29 degrees east longitude.

The depth of the epicenter was 10 km, and strong tremors were detected in Kashgar and Artux in western Xinjiang, more than 100 km away from the earthquake site, according to foreign media. The Global Times reported that there were multiple testimonies of strong shaking felt in the emergency room in Kashi County, Xinjiang.

According to the China Earthquake Network Center, after the first earthquake, two aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 and 4.5 occurred consecutively in Tajikistan at 8:57 a.m., 20 minutes later.

Xinhua News Agency reported that immediately after the earthquake, the railway department in charge of the Xinjiang Uygur region issued an emergency alert and completely suspended passenger train operations on the route connecting Aksu in southern Xinjiang and western Kashgar.

Authorities also dispatched relevant personnel to the site to inspect bridges and tunnel facilities.

No reports have yet been made regarding casualties or property damage caused by this earthquake. The Chinese Embassy in Tajikistan stated, "So far, no damage to local Chinese residents due to this earthquake has been confirmed."

Foreign media reported that there is Sarez Lake and a natural dam located 20 km from the earthquake epicenter, raising concerns about additional damage if the dam collapses or the lake floods due to the earthquake's impact. Like other Central Asian regions, Tajikistan is known to be vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and avalanches.

This is the first earthquake of magnitude 6 or higher in Tajikistan in five years since May 2018. At that time, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred in the border area between Tajikistan and northeastern Afghanistan, causing houses to collapse and casualties.

In February 2021 and July 2020, earthquakes of magnitude 5.9 and 5.5 respectively also occurred in Tajikistan.

Meanwhile, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially reported the magnitude of this earthquake as 7.1 but later revised it to 6.8.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that the magnitude of this earthquake is 6.8 and that the area is very sparsely populated.