Earthquake claims lives in northwestern China

A severe earthquake rocked northern China near the Kyrgyzstan border on Tuesday, killing three people and injuring an additional five.

According to state media reports, the seismic event happened immediately after 2:00 a.m. local time at a depth of 13 kilometres in China’s Xinjiang region, around 140 kilometres west of the city of Aksu.

Initially, Beijing’s Xinhua news agency reported that six individuals in Akqi County had been injured, two of whom were “serious.” However, following reports from the agency verified the devastating news of three deaths and five injured.

Following the quake, Akqi County saw 47 buildings collapse, while an additional 78 structures experienced varied degrees of damage, according to the local government’s social media channels.

Xinhua reported specifics from the epicentre area in rural Wushi County, including the collapse of two residential dwellings and cattle sheds, as well as a temporary power loss.

In response to the accident, the health ministry of neighbouring Kazakhstan disclosed that 44 people with “various” injuries sought medical attention in Almaty, the country’s largest city.