An earthquake with a magnitude of seven on the Richter scale hit the border region of Kyrgyzstan and Xinjiang, the German Research Center for Geosciences announced.
The earthquake was at a depth of 10 kilometers.
In nearby Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Emergency Situations registered the same earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 degrees.
In Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, residents fled their homes and went outside despite the cold weather, some dressed in pajamas and slippers. No damage reported.
The tremors, followed by aftershocks about 30 minutes later, were also felt in Uzbekistan.