Dushanbe, Europe Brief News – A strong earthquake has hit a remote region of Tajikistan bordering China measured at magnitude 6.8.
No casualties were immediately reported following the quake.
The quake struck at about 5:37am (00:37 GMT) on Thursday about 65km (40 miles) west of Murghob near the border with China’s Xinjiang province.
The area is sparsely populated but is home to the Sarez Lake which could potentially flood vast areas in several countries if disrupted.
The quake was strongly felt across the border in some areas of Kashgar prefecture and Kizilsu Kyrgyz autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang, but no injuries or damage have been reported so far, state media CCTV said, citing local information officers.
China’s Earthquake Networks Center said the quake was magnitude 7.2 and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep. Measurements by different agencies often differ.
Five aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.6 to 5 followed later on Thursday morning, with their epicenters likewise located west of Murghob, Tajikistan’s state Khovar agency reported.
A further magnitude 5 quake was recorded in the early afternoon 86 kilometers (53 miles) west of the city, Tajik State Emergencies Committee spokeswoman Umeda Yusufi said. Neither referenced any injuries or damage.
In 2015, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 105km (65 miles) west of Murghob, killing two and destroying hundreds of homes.
