UPDATE 2 - 3 killed in 7.1 earthquake in northwestern China's Xinjiang region

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By Anadolu staff

At least three people were killed and six others wounded in a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck China's northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region early Tuesday, state-run media reported.

The quake's epicenter was at a depth of 22 kilometers (13 miles) in the mountainous border region of Wushi County.

Tremors were felt across the region and in the neighboring countries of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

So far, three people have died and six others have been wounded, with two of them in critical condition, in Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, the daily Global Times reported.

Some 47 houses have also been damaged in the region.

The region has so far recorded 70 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or higher, with the strongest registering at 5.3 magnitude, according to the daily.

Wushi County has a population of more than 230,000 as of 2019. Authorities have evacuated over 2,000 people.

”The damage caused by the earthquake is limited because the epicenter is in an uninhabited area," the daily quoted Luo Yansheng from a rescue team as saying.

Authorities also suspended rail services to check for damage along the tracks in the affected region. While the power supply had been disrupted temporarily in some parts of the region, it was gradually restored.

The quakes were felt across Xinjiang, including Urumqi, Hotan, and Kashgar.

Last month, a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Gansu and Qinghai provinces in China, with its epicenter in Cishan Bao'an Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County, killing 149 people and damaging 14,000 houses.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid