The earthquake took place on January 23, 2024, at 2:09 AM local time in the mountainous border area of Ushi County in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, at a depth of 13 miles. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, as of 11 AM on the same day, more than 50 aftershocks with a magnitude above 3 were recorded. According to the Xinjiang Emergency Management Department, three people died, five were injured, and more than 12,400 people were evacuated from the affected areas.
The Ushi County Media Center reported that the six-story media center building shook for about a minute during the earthquake. Several towns in the county were evacuated. The earthquake's epicenter was in a remote, mountainous, and sparsely populated area at an altitude of over 9842 feet, approximately 31.07 miles from the main urban area of Ushi County.
According to reports from Weibo users, the earthquake was strongly felt in Urumqi, Korla, Kashgar, Yining, and surrounding areas. In the region, 47 houses collapsed, and more than 120 buildings were damaged. Two major power transmission lines near the earthquake's epicenter were also damaged.
Videos posted by Xinjiang residents on Chinese social media show chandeliers swaying and falling to the floor, while crowds of people stand on the streets bundled up in winter jackets and blankets as the nighttime temperature dropped to 14 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the railway authorities of the province suspended train services in earthquake-affected areas. About 200 rescuers were sent to the earthquake zone. Rescue operations are complicated by the cold weather, and it is expected that temperatures in the Ushi County area will reach -9.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the next three days, according to the China Meteorological Agency.
The underground tremors were also felt in Central Asian countries hundreds of miles from the epicenter. In Kazakhstan, at least 44 people were affected in the country's largest city, Almaty, due to the earthquake. Videos posted on social media show residents quickly leaving their homes and standing on snow-covered streets, some in pajamas and slippers.
In Kyrgyzstan, tremors were also felt: magnitude 6 in the Kumtor deposit, magnitude 4.5 in Karakol and Kadji-Sai, and magnitude 4 in Naryn and Bishkek.
Uzbekistan also experienced the shocks. In Tashkent, the magnitude of the underground tremors was 3, reaching up to 4 in other regions. Residents of the capital of Uzbekistan reported that vibrations on higher floors were felt for 30-40 seconds. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
Even in India, echoes of the earthquake were felt.
The number of earthquakes worldwide is increasing. What causes the rise in seismic activity on the planet, and why is it important for everyone to understand this issue? How should we act not to become victims of the next cataclysm? Answers can be found in the materials of the online forum "Global Crisis. The Responsibility".