June 29, 2012 Earthquake: Xinjiang Province, China

At least 52 people injured, 48,000 people displaced, more than 7,500 rooms collapsed, 64,000 rooms damaged and 2,217 livestock killed in Xinyuan. Rockslides blocked roads in the area. Preliminary estimate of damage is about 68 million U.S. dollars. Felt (VI) at Shihezi and (IV) at Urumqi. Also felt at Changji, Karamay and in Hejing. Felt (IV) at Almaty, Kazakhstan. (reference #1053)

A powerful 6.6-magnitude quake today jolted northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, injuring at least 35 people and causing wide spread damage besides trapping 120 people in a landslide. The earthquake, which hit a mountainous area along the border of Hejing and Xinyuan counties at 5:07 am (local time), was followed by several aftershocks of 3-to-4 magnitude, authorities of the government of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture said. Strong tremors were felt in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, shaking residents out of their beds and leading to temporary power outages. Thirty-five people were injured and over 64,500 people have been affected by the 6.6-magnitude quake. According to the preliminary investigation, quakes have killed over 2,000 heads of livestock, and damaged over 30,000 houses as of this evening. Railway authorities also stopped 32 passenger and freight trains which were running on the quake-affected regions. The quake also triggered landslides and caused cave-ins on several national and regional highways in Xinjiang, bringing traffic to a halt. A landslide on National Highway 217 has trapped 120 people, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. (reference #9908)