A magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook the western region of Xinjiang in China tonight. Three people have died and dozens of homes have been severely damaged, China Central Television reported.
According to the China Earthquake Center, the quake struck Baicheng County in northwestern Aksu Prefecture at 5:14 a.m.
#UPDATE 3 killed, 65 houses damaged so far after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Baicheng county in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at 5:14 a.m. Wednesday pic.twitter.com/5HAZpkpYgx
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) March 24, 2021
There were about 10 aftershocks, the strongest of which was magnitude 3.4 on the Richter scale.
In February 2003, a powerful earthquake measuring 6.8 killed 268 people in Xinjiang and caused significant damage. Following the quake, trains between the regional capital of Urumqi and areas such as Hotan and Aksu were halted.
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