A major earthquake followed by a series of aftershocks struck early on January 23 along the China-Kyrgyzstan border, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported, warning of potentially widespread damage.
Kyrgyz Emergencies Minister Boobek Ajikeev said in a video message that the earthquake was felt shortly after midnight in Kyrgyzstan and was especially strong in several districts of the northern Issyk-Kul region.
In the capital, Bishkek, people fled their homes to seek refuge in the street. There was also strong tremors in the cities of Karakol and Naryn.
No casualties or damage has been reported in the districts and cities he mentioned, Ajikeev said, asking people not to panic.
The time of the quake was registered just after 2 a.m. on January 23 local time at its epicenter in China’s Xinjiang Province, about 140 kilometers west of the city of Aksu.
According to the USGS, five earthquakes occurred, and the most powerful had a magnitude of 7. The strength of the other four was around magnitude 5.
Residents of Bishkek said the ground shook violently there, and people living in multistory buildings opted to leave.
The earthquake and the aftershocks were also felt in Kazakhstan, more than 260 kilometers from the epicenter.
Residents of Almaty, especially those who live in apartment buildings, fled into the streets, and cars jammed the roads.
The Emergencies Agency called on residents of Almaty not to panic and to beware of disinformation.
Chinese state media said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and caused at least two houses to collapse.
Around 200 emergency rescuers were dispatched to the quake’s epicenter, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The Xinjiang railway authority suspended dozens of trains in the region and sealed off the affected sections, the broadcaster said.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities in China.
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The quake occurred at 1:58 am according to Indian Standard Time, approximately 45 kilometres northeast of Kanysh-Kyya, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
The epicentre lies within the seismically active Tien Shan mountain range. Initial reports had placed the magnitude at 5.7. Local authorities and emergency services are currently assessing the situation. So far, there have been no reports of casualties or significant damage.
The quake hit at 20:28:59 UTC (01:58 am IST, Monday), about 45 kilometres northeast of Kanysh-Kyya, Kyrgyzstan, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, according to the EMSC. The coordinates were recorded at 42.157N, 71.258E, placing the epicentre in a mountainous area of the Tien Shan range, known for its seismic activity.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre earlier pegged the magnitude of the quake at 5.7.
Local authorities and emergency services are assessing the situation, though there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.
The Tien Shan mountain range, which stretches across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and western China, lies in one of Central Asia’s most active seismic zones. Earthquakes of moderate intensity, ranging between magnitudes 4 and 6, are common due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.