The Guardian-Powerful earthquake hits China-Kyrgyzstan border
January 22, 2024 2 min 383 words
这次7.0级地震在中吉边境造成潜在广泛破坏，引发了紧急警报。报道提到这一地区主要由维吾尔族居住，而近年来他们一直是国家强制同化和大规模拘禁的对象。这次地震让人们不禁担心这一弱势群体的安危。尽管初报未有损害或伤亡，但CCTV报道了几次余震，地震波及到了邻国吉尔吉斯斯坦和哈萨克斯坦。新德里等地也感受到明显的震感，凸显地震的强烈程度。美国地质调查局警告说可能有伤亡，而在这个山区农村地区，救援行动可能面临极大挑战。在寒冷的气温下，这一地区的救援工作将变得更加艰巨。此次地震发生在南西部发生的山体滑坡之后，再次给中国带来了一场灾难。中国政府需要采取迅速而有力的行动，确保受影响人民的安全，并提供紧急援助。
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck along the China-Kyrgyzstan border, as authorities warned of potentially widespread damage.
The China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake hit Wushu county shortly after 2am local time, according to the state-run Xinhua press agency. There were no immediate reports of damage or fatalities.
State broadcaster CCTV said there were several aftershocks since the main quake, registering up to 4.5 magnitude.
The earthquake struck in a rural area populated mostly by Uyghurs, who have been the target of a state campaign of forced assimilation and mass detention in recent years.
China’s National Fire and Rescue Administration posted a video on social media showing firefighters driving to the quake’s epicentre. A video posted by a Weibo user showed residents standing outside on the streets bundled in winter jackets, and a photo posted by state broadcaster CCTV showed a cracked wall with chunks fallen off.
Tremors were felt as far away as the neighbouring countries Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In the Kazakhstan city of Almaty, people left their homes to seek refuge in the street after the quake caused walls to shake and furniture to shift.
Local TV channels in the Indian capital New Delhi reported strong tremors in the city, about 1,400km (870 miles) away.
The US Geological Survey said casualties were possible, though none were immediately reported in the mountainous, rural area where the earthquake struck.
“Significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread,” its report said.
Wushu county at the quake’s epicentre is recording temperatures well below zero. Parts of northern and central China have shivered under frigid cold snaps this winter, with authorities closing schools and highways several times due to snowstorms.
Tuesday’s earthquake came the day after a landslide buried dozens of people and killed at least eight in the south-west of China.
A December quake in the north-west of the country killed 148 people and displaced thousands in Gansu province.
That earthquake was China’s deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed in southwestern Yunnan province.
In the December earthquake, subzero temperatures made the aid operation launched in response even more challenging, with survivors huddled around outdoor fires to keep warm.