6.8 magnitude strong earthquake hits eastern Tajikistan near China border

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook part of Tajikistan early Thursday, February 23, 2023, near China's far western Xinjiang region. It was 67 km west of Murghob, Tajikistan and 20 km deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude has hit eastern Tajikistan near the border with China, according to European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The earthquake, according to CCTV, was about 7.3 in magnitude and happened at around 8:37 am close to the boundary between Tajikistan and China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of approximately 20.5 kilometres at 5:37 am local time (00:37 GMT) (12.7 miles).

The eastern area of Gorno-Badakhshan, which borders China and Afghanistan and is semi-autonomous, is where it looked to have originated. It is located about 67 kilometres from the tiny mountain town of Murghob.

About 20 minutes after the original earthquake, a 5.0-magnitude aftershock struck the region, followed by a 4.6-magnitude tremor.

The Gorno-Badakhshan territory, a semi-autonomous eastern province bordering Afghanistan and China, was close to the epicentre of the earthquake. The towering Pamir Mountains encircle the region, which is scarcely inhabited.

Tajikistan is extremely vulnerable to natural catastrophes and has a long history of floods, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, and heavy snowfalls. This is true for much of the rest of Central Asia as well. Nine people perished in a landslide on February 15 in Gorno-Badakhshan earlier this month, and another person perished in an avalanche on a highway close to the city Dushanbe the same day.