A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck a sparsely populated part of China's western Xinjiang region early on Tuesday, injuring six people and damaging or collapsing more than 120 homes in freezing cold weather, authorities said. In addition, 47 houses collapsed, 78 houses were damaged and some agricultural structures collapsed, the government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region posted on its official Weibo social media account. Tremors were felt across the Xinjiang region and in the neighboring countries Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Earthquakes are common in western China, including in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, as well as the Xinjiang region and Tibet. A 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Gansu in December killed 151 people and was China's deadliest quake in nine years.

Source: The Telegraph January 23, 2024 17:54 UTC