Beijing, August 28: A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck northwest China today, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, sending local officials scrambling to assess possible damage in the remote mining region.
The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 9:52 am (0722 IST), was located 165 kilometres northeast of the city of Golmud in Qinghai province, the USGS said. The quake hit at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
“The township government leaders have all rushed up to the mining production district to assess the damage,” Yu Xiaoying, an official in Xitieshan township, near the epicentre, told AFP by phone. “Right now we have no details on damage — we have not received any reports of casualties.”
The township, situated on the north end of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, has a population of about 3,000 permanent residents, but up to 8,000 migrant workers are employed in the local mining industry, Yu said.
“We are very concerned that the mining production area, the roads and pipelines could have suffered damage,” she said. In neighbouring Dachaidan township — home to another 15,000 people — officials were assessing possible damage, especially at mining installations in the mountainous region, a local official there said.
The China Earthquake Administration registered the initial quake at 6.4. A 5.6-magnitude aftershock hit the remote area about 20 minutes after the initial quake, the USGS said. Locals said they felt both tremors.
–PTI