Chinese authorities have initiated a grade-IV emergency response to a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that killed six people in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday.
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The quake rocked Pishan County at 9:07 a.m., with its epicenter recorded at 37.6 degrees north latitude and 78.2 degrees east longitude. It struck at a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
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The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction has sent teams to assist relief work in the quake-hit areas, urging preparation of relief materials. A total of 1,000 tents have been sent to the county.
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A grade-IV response, the lowest in China's emergency response system, means a 24-hour alert, daily damage reports, and dispatching money and relief materials within 48 hours.
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More than 500 soldiers and militia members from Lanzhou military area command have been dispatched to search for victims in the quake. A 22-member medical team was also sent to Pishan.
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Shortly after the quake, several minor tremors measuring between 3.0 and 4.6 magnitude rocked the area, according to the CENC. About 3,000 houses have been destroyed.
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Located in southernmost Xinjiang, Pishan is about 1,800 km away from the regional capital of Urumqi and covers 39,700 square km.
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With a population of 258,000, the county is mainly inhabited by people of Uygur ethnicity.
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Chinese authorities have initiated a grade-IV emergency response to a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that killed six people in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday.
