8 dead, 20 injured after moderate quake in far western China
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BEIJING — A moderate earthquake that struck close to the earth’s surface killed eight people and injured more than 20 others in far western China on Thursday, the region’s earthquake administration said.
The morning quake struck in Taxkorgan county, a remote mountainous area that borders Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan in China’s Xinjiang region. The Xinjiang Earthquake Administration said 23 people had been injured, including one seriously, and more than 180 houses had collapsed in the lightly populated area. Most houses in the area were made of wood and mudbricks or rock, it said.
Search and rescue work was under way, it added.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 5.4-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles) at 5:58 a.m. Thursday (2158 GMT Wednesday). Shallow quakes cause greater shaking at the surface, which can cause more damage.
