Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake in Xinjiang, China: 6 Injured and 125 Households Damaged (Update)

On the 23rd, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, injuring 6 people, with no reported deaths, according to local media including China Central Television.

Earthquake occurrence area in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China [Photo by US Geological Survey (USGS) webpage capture].

Due to the earthquake, 6 residents were injured 26 km away from the epicenter. Among them, 2 sustained serious injuries and 4 had minor injuries. 47 houses collapsed, 78 houses were damaged, totaling 125 households affected.

Local media reported that the area within a 20 km radius of the epicenter has an average elevation of 3,048 meters and is a sparsely populated mountainous region. Authorities issued a level 2 earthquake emergency response after the quake and began assessing casualties and conducting rescue operations. Personnel from transportation, communication, and power departments have been deployed to respond.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, at 2:09 a.m. on the same day, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Wusu County in Aksu Prefecture, northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The epicenter was located at 41.26 degrees north latitude and 78.63 degrees east longitude, with a focal depth of 22 km. By 4 p.m. that day, a total of 70 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or higher occurred, including four aftershocks ranging from magnitude 5.0 to 5.3.

Previously, on the 18th of last month, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Jishishan County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province in northwest China, resulting in 148 deaths and thousands of displaced people.