UPDATE - Several injured, houses collapsed after 7.1 earthquake hit northwestern China's Xinjiang region

UPDATES WITH REPORT ON INJURIES, COLLAPSED BUILDINGS; CHANGES HEAD, DECK, LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Anadolu staff

Several people have been injured after homes collapsed due to 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.

Several dwellings and livestock sheds collapsed in areas near the epicenter, with some herders suffering minor injuries, Xinhua News reported.

The region has so far recorded 14 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or higher, with the strongest registering at 5.3 magnitude, according to the agency.

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.

Authorities dispatched a rescue team to Wushi county but no casualties have been reported from the affected areas so far, according to the report.

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, killed 149 people and damaging 14,000 houses.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid