Strong earthquakes shake Central Asia

Last night, a strong earthquake shook the most densely populated Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. There have been no reports of casualties.

The earthquake shook the whole of Central Asia, the most powerful being in Kyrgyzstan. However, there are many different information about the magnitude and epicenter of the earthquake.

The US Geological Survey said the 6.3-magnitude quake, east of Sary-Tash, is about 70km from the border between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It happened at 9:52 last night.

The Kyrgyzstan state emergency department said the earthquake measured at 8/12 level occurred in the Tajikistan border and rocked nearby Kyrgyzstan's second largest city, Osh.

'There has been no announcement about the extent of the damage and the number of casualties. We are checking all the information, ' said an official from the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

An earthquake forecast center in Tajikistan said the earthquake occurred on the border between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.

The head of Osh said, 'everyone has been mobilized and we are checking the areas'.

Reporters in Kyrgyzstan's second-largest city claim the area is quite quiet. 'People feel earthquake and immediately ran out. I don't see any buildings destroyed. Everyone just ran out of their house for a while '.

Earthquakes are often very common in Central Asia. This is a buffer zone between Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and China.

In 1966 the Uzbek capital Tashkent was flattened by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. A 6/12 earthquake also shook Tashkent in August, but did not cause any damage.

Meanwhile, according to Xinhua, at nearly 12pm last night, a strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake also rocked China's Xinjiang region. The epicenter is located in the mountains near Wuqia, Kizilsu Kirg, under a depth of 33km. There is currently no notice of damage and casualties in the earthquake.