7.1-magnitude quake in displaces thousands

As aftershocks from an earthquake continued to rock western China, more than 12,000 people stayed in tents and sturdier shelters, lighting bonfires to fend off the freezing weather.

On Tuesday, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in a remote part of the Xinjiang region killed three people and left five injured, while damaging hundreds of buildings.

Tremors were felt hundreds of kilometres away.

The quake caused significant damage, but the toll on lives and property was relatively light, owing to the sparse population and efforts to improve the durability of housing around the epicentre in Uchturpan county, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, in recent years.

Footage shown by state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday showed evacuees eating instant noodles in tents, with bonfires providing heat.

Jian Gewa, a 16-year old student in Uchturpan, said he was in the bathroom when the quake began. The entire building shook violently.

“I just thought I had to get myself to safety as quickly as possible,” said Jian, who was evacuated to a school where he was staying in a dorm room with his grandfather, joining about 200 others.

Local officials said they planned to check houses for stability before people could return.

The earthquake hit in a sparsely populated area with clusters of towns and villages scattered across an otherwise barren winter landscape. — AP