6.8 magnitude earthquake jolts eastern Tajikistan-China border
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Tajikistan near the border with China on Thursday, as per the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). Meanwhile, Chinese state media CCTV stated that the quake was roughly 7.3 magnitude and happened around 8:37 am (local time) near the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China and Tajikistan. As per reports, the quake struck at a depth of 20.5 kilometers.
Details on quake's epicenter
The quake's epicenter is said to be in Gorno-Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous eastern province that borders China and Afghanistan, approximately 67 kilometers from Murghob. The initial earthquake was followed by a 5.0 magnitude aftershock in Murghob nearly 20 minutes later, followed by another 4.6 magnitude earthquake. Mughrob, the district capital, has a population of a few thousand people high in Tajikistan's Pamir Mountains.
Natural disasters and Tajikistan: Know more
Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, with a long history of floods, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, and heavy snowfalls. On February 15, nine people were killed in an avalanche in the country's Gorno-Badakhshan region. Furthermore, the news agency AFP reported that one more died on the same day in a separate avalanche on a highway close to the capital Dushanbe.
Recent devastating quakes in Syria and Turkey
This incident comes after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Syria-Turkey border area on Monday. The fresh jolts came exactly two weeks after a destructive quake jolted the region. On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the region, killing over 46,000 people in both countries. According to authorities, over 6,000 aftershocks were recorded between the quakes two weeks ago and Monday's tremors.
Death count in Syra, Turkey goes up
According to Turkey's disaster management agency on Wednesday, six people died in Monday's quake, and approximately 300 were left injured. Meanwhile, pro-government media outlets announced that a woman and a girl lost their lives in Syria in the provinces of Tartus and Hama, with numerous reports of people allegedly jumping off buildings to escape, reported the news outlet USA Today.
