China dispatches rescue team to earthquake hit northwestern region

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China has dispatched various search and rescue teams to earthquake-hit the country’s northwestern Xinjiang region.

Early on Monday at around 7:49 am (2349GMT Sunday), an earthquake measuring 6.1-magnitude hit Shaya county of Aksu region in Xinjiang province, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

It was strongest earthquake shaking the region in past five years, local authorities in Aksu told Chinese daily Global Times.

The provincial authorities have issued third-level emergency response as local fire brigade has dispatched a team of 10 personnel to Kasikan village, closest to epicenter of the earthquake, while 1,500 firefighters and 36 dogs are on standby.

The search and rescue efforts have commenced.

“The epicenter is 41 kilometers away from the Tarim Basin, with no villages or population centers within 20 kilometers of the epicenter. No casualties or collapsed dwellings have been reported so far,” local authorities in Aksu have said.

They added that telecommunication network, power supply and transportation in the Shaya county “continue to operate normally.”