Powerful 7.0 earthquake strikes China-Kyrgyzstan border

A major 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck along the China-Kyrgyzstan border on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey reported, warning of potentially widespread damage.

Local TV channels in the Indian capital New Delhi reported strong tremors in the city, about 1,400 kilometres away.

The quake was registered just after 2:00 am (1800 GMT Monday) at a depth of 27 kilometres (17 miles) in China’s Xinjiang region, 140 kilometres west of the city of Aksu.

Shortly after, three more earthquakes were recorded in the area, at magnitudes 5.5 and 5.1 and 5.0.

The USGS said casualties were possible, though none had been immediately reported in the mountainous, rural area where the earthquake struck.

“Significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread,” its report said.

Tuesday’s quake came the day after a landslide buried dozens of people and killed at least eight in the southwest of China.

A December quake in the northwest of the country killed 148 people and displaced thousands in Gansu province.

That quake was China’s deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed in southwestern Yunnan province.

In the December earthquake, subzero temperatures made the aid operation launched in response even more challenging, with survivors huddled around outdoor fires to keep warm.