An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 struck China's northwestern border with Tajikistan killing at least 1 person, destroying houses and severing a railway line in the sparsely populated region, China’s national news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.
Rescue teams in the Xinjiang region were sent to help isolated communities in Akto County, which sits on China's mountainous border with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Xinhua said the quake hit the area late on Friday evening, and its magnitude was measured by the China Earthquakes Networks Center.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey had reported that a 6.7 magnitude quake, with a depth 75 kilometers (46.6 miles), struck the area at around 10:24 p.m. local time on Friday, but later downgraded the magnitude to 6.5.
According to CA-news, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 reportedly struck northeastern Tajikistan on the border with China, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The tremor could be felt in Osh region in Kyrgyzstan and in Almaty, Shymkent and Taraz in Kazakhstan as well.
Northeastern Tajikistan and western China are sparsely populated, largely rural areas prone to earthquakes.
