Earthquake damages over fifty houses in China

Beijing: A moderate earthquake of 5.0 magnitude damaged about 50 houses and displaced over 1,500 people in China’s northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
No casualties have been reported so far. The epicenter of the quake was detected at a depth of 10 km, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said.

Tents, stoves and other relief materials have arrived at the affected areas, he said. The Kizilsu prefecture is located in the west-end of Xinjiang.

There are about 20 villages less than 30 kilometres away from the epicenter. Some old houses were “moderately damaged” by the tremor, according to the regional seismological bureau.

Zhi Hao, secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China, (CPC) in Karajol, said 17,499 people live in the township, which covers an area of 8,452 square kilometres.

The scattered settlement of many herdsmen has created difficulties for casualty and damage counting and rescue efforts. The regional government has sent a work team to the affected areas