China: Further damage and casualties reported following magnitude-7.0 earthquake in western Xinjiang Province Jan. 23 /update 2

Further damage and casualties have been reported following a magnitude-7.0 earthquake that occurred in western Xinjiang Province, China, at around 02:10 Jan. 23. The epicenter was about 129 km (80 miles) west-northwest of Aykol, Xinjiang Province. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 13 km (8 miles), and strong shaking was likely felt in areas close to the epicenter, as well as moderate-to-strong shaking across western Xinjiang Province, parts of eastern Almaty Region in Kazakhstan, and eastern Kyrgyzstan. The initial tremor was followed by dozens of aftershocks, with more than 70 aftershocks of higher than magnitude-3.0 registered in the area, the strongest of which was magnitude-5.8. Further moderate aftershocks are likely to occur over the coming days, and these may disrupt ongoing response operations.

As of the afternoon of Jan. 24, authorities in Xinjiang Province have reported three fatalities and six people injured following the quake across Wushi and Akqi counties. At least 47 homes have collapsed and 78 others have been damaged across the affected areas. Nearly 12,500 people in the region have been displaced. The quake also damaged a number of power lines; however, authorities reported power was quickly restored to the impacted areas. The Xinjiang railway department immediately stopped operations in the region following the earthquake and 27 trains were reportedly affected before services resumed. No casualties have been reported in Kyrgyzstan. Authorities in Kazakhstan have reported at least 67 people were treated for predominantly minor injuries in Almaty following the earthquake. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas; the number of casualties and reports of damage may continue to rise over the coming days.

Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found.