A powerful earthquake and several strong aftershocks hit western China Friday, killing at least three, injuring dozens and damaging or destroying thousands of buildings.
The 6.4-magnitude quake struck in the morning hours Friday in Pishan county in the Hotan region of Xinjiang in far western China, the U.S. Geological survey reported. The USGS issued a yellow pager alert shortly thereafter, indicating the potential for localized damage between $10 million and $1 billion.
At least four strong aftershocks, all over 4-magnitude, have since impacted the area, the USGS reports.
Reuters reported at least three people were killed, down from six earlier, 43 were injured and that 3,000 structures were damaged or collapsed.
"Buildings were trembling and people rushed to the streets," Jin Xingchang, an express courier in Hotan city, about 9 miles from Pishan, told the Associated Press.
State-run Xinhua news agency said that the Chinese government had issued a grade-IV emergency response -- the lowest level in China's emergency response efforts -- for areas hit by the earthquake, mobilizing resources for recovery efforts.
| SRC | Location | UTC Date/time | M | D | INFO | |
| EMSC | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 03:11 | 4.8 | 10 | MAP I Felt It | |
| USGS | Yilkiqi, China | Jul 03 03:11 | 4.8 | 10 | MAP I Felt It | |
| GEOFON | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 03:11 | 5.0 | 10 | MAP I Felt It INFO | |
| USGS | Yilkiqi, China | Jul 03 02:37 | 4.6 | 10 | MAP I Felt It | |
| EMSC | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 02:37 | 4.6 | 12 | MAP I Felt It | |
| GEOFON | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 02:37 | 4.7 | 10 | MAP I Felt It INFO | |
| USGS | Yilkiqi, China | Jul 03 01:44 | 4.7 | 10 | MAP I Felt It | |
| EMSC | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 01:44 | 4.8 | 10 | MAP I Felt It | |
| GEOFON | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 01:44 | 4.9 | 16 | MAP I Felt It INFO | |
| EMSC | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 01:31 | 4.4 | 10 | MAP I Felt It | |
| USGS | Yilkiqi, China | Jul 03 01:31 | 4.4 | 10 | MAP I Felt It | |
| USGS | Yilkiqi, China | Jul 03 01:07 | 6.4 | 20 | MAP I Felt It | |
| EMSC | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 01:07 | 6.4 | 20 | MAP I Felt It | |
| GEOFON | Southern Xinjiang, China | Jul 03 01:07 | 6.4 | 10 | MAP I Felt It INFO | |
Update 16:52 TC : New damage numbers : The number of injured increased to 71. Additionally 7586 houses collapsed, 21248 severely damaged, 47781 slightly damaged
Update : we are very sad to report that 3 people have been killed and at least 30 others injured by this earthquake.
At least 3 people were killed and over 40 injured when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck China’s western province of Xinjiang, according to CCTV.
The nearest city is located 95 kilometers from the epicenter, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The earthquake occurred in the largely agricultural county of Guma, with a population of over 200,000 mostly ethnic Muslim Uighurs.
“If many people are gathered in one place during an earthquake, it can lead to a serious disaster, but in this case, there were relatively few people so it isn’t so serious,” Reuters quoted Sun Shihong, a researcher at China Earthquake Networks Center, as saying.
1 comment:
Talk about misleading people!!
POPE Francis has started another fierce debate within the Catholic Church by stating that the concept of a burning hell where people burn eternally cannot be Christian as it goes against the concept of a loving and passionate God.
Over recent months, Pope Francis has been speaking a lot about how Christianity should be loving and caring, challenging a lot of the orthodox views held by the church establishment. Only last week, he challenged weapons manufacturers who claim they are Christians, saying that their work clashed with their faith and as such they cannot call themselves Christian.
Recently named Man of The Year by Time Magazine, Pope Francis has sparked off another debate with controversial remarks at the Third Vatican Council that just held. In what was the largest and most important Catholic gathering of priests since the Second Vatican Council in 1962, Pope Francis also challenged the concept of Adam and Eve.
Pope Francis said: “Through humility, soul searching, and prayerful contemplation we have gained a new understanding of certain dogmas. The church no longer believes in a literal hell where people suffer as this doctrine is incompatible with the infinite love of God.
“God is not a judge but a friend and a lover of humanity and God seeks not to condemn but only to embrace. Like the fable of Adam and Eve, we see hell as a literary device and hell is merely a metaphor for the isolated soul, which like all souls ultimately will be united in love with God.”
In a shocking speech that is reverberating across the world, Pope Francis declared that all religions are true because they are true in the hearts of all those who believe in them. He added that in the past, the church has been harsh on those it deemed morally wrong or sinful but it can no longer judge people today.
“Like a loving father, we never condemn our children. Our church is big enough for heterosexuals and homosexuals, for the pro-life and the pro-choice.
“For conservatives and liberals, even communists are welcome and have joined us. We all love and worship the same God,” Pope Francis added.
Over the last six months, Catholic cardinals, bishops and theologians have been deliberating in the Vatican City, in discussing the future of the church and redefining long-held Catholic doctrines and dogmas. A few cardinals in the Catholic Church are against Pope Francis’ latest declarations that has split opinion within the faith.
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