Strong earthquake strikes northwest China, casualties unknown

2011-11-01 08:22:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

NILKA, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck northwestern China on early Tuesday morning, seismologists said, but it was not immediately known if there were injuries or damage.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake at 8.21 a.m. local time (0021 GMT) was centered about 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) southwest of Nilka, a small city in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Network Center (CENC).

It was not immediately known if the earthquake caused damage or if there were casualties, but the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated some 255,000 people may have felt strong shaking which could result in moderate damage. It said some 1.4 million others may have felt light to moderate shaking.

"The population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist," the USGS said. It added that damage and casualties were possible.

Earlier on Tuesday, a moderate 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck about 48 kilometers (29 miles) west-northwest of Guangyuan, a prefecture-level city in China's Sichuan Province which is close to the borders with Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It struck about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) deep.

That earthquake, which the USGS measured at 5.5, was strongly felt in the region and prompted residents to flee their homes. The Chinese government said it had launched an emergency response but it was not immediately known if there were casualties, although some damage was reported.

Buildings in many regions of China are extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking, and moderate earthquakes frequently cause serious damage and casualties. In August, at least 26 people were injured when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, destroying 80 homes.

And earlier this year, on March 10, at least 26 people were killed and more than 300 others were injured when a moderate 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in China's Yunnan Province.

Before that, on April 14, 2010, nearly 3,000 people were killed and more than 12,000 others were injured when a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck northwest China.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-11-01

My thoughts are with these people. As winter approaches, any natural disaster is particularly unwelcome.