Significant earthquakes of 2003

May 4, 2003 Earthquake: Yopurga, S. Xinjiang, China

May 4, 2003 · M5.8 · 1 death · 1,600 houses destroyed

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Yopurga, S. Xinjiang, China on May 4, 2003 at 15:44:35 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
May 4, 2003
Time
15:44:35 UTC
Place
Yopurga, S. Xinjiang, China
Magnitude
5.8 (Mw)
Focal depth
10 km (6 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
39.430° N, 77.219° E
Country
China

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
3
Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed
1,600

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

One person died from a heart attack. Three people injured, 1,600 houses destroyed, several thousand buildings damaged

and 1,000 livestock killed in Yopurga County. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2003The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2003Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5693.