Magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes remote western China
BEIJING — A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck a remote part of China’s western Xinjiang region early Tuesday, resulting in downed power lines, the destruction of at least two homes and the suspension of trains.
According to reports from The Associated Press, the China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake rocked Uchturpan county (Wushi county in Mandarin) in Aksu prefecture shortly after 2 am.
Two houses collapsed and approximately 200 emergency rescuers were dispatched to the quake’s epicentre. AP News also said the Xinjiang railway authority suspended dozens of trains in the region and sealed off the affected sections. The quake also downed power lines but electricity was quickly restored to the region, Aksu authorities reported.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities.
An earthquake struck China’s northwestern Gansu province in December, killing 151 people in what was reportedly the deadliest earthquake in China in nine years.
