A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Thursday jolted China’s Hutubi County in north-west Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, shaking buildings and forcing evacuation of students from schools.
The quake struck at 1:15 PM (local time) in Changji city, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC). However, there were no report of casualties.
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The epicentre of the quake, located at 43.83 degrees north latitude and 86.35 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 6 km, was strongly felt in Urumqi, the regional capital, and other places such as Ili and Shihezi in northern Xinjiang. Hutubi is about 100 km away from Urumqi.
“The building was shaking and the lamp in my home looked like falling down. The hooks of the window curtain rang and the balcony door opened because of the shake,” Wang Guiqin, a resident who lives on the second floor of a building in Hutubi, was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
Report said students were evacuated from schools in the affected areas.
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His office shook for 10 secs
A reporter in Urumqi said his office building shook for more than 10 seconds. Drinks cans and bottles fell to the ground from shelves in a superstore in Urumqi.
A county official in Hutubi said no houses collapsed in the urban area. Officials are checking the damage of two townships hit by the quake.
Fire fighters and quake officials are on their way to the county.