Xinjiang quake affects over 3,000 people and damages 864 houses

A total of 3,256 people were affected and 864 houses damaged after an earthquake hit northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Monday morning, the local government said Wednesday.A 5.2-magnitude quake jolted Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, at 11:01 a.m. Monday.According to the latest statistics from the city government, as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, 3,256 people had been affected and 864 houses had been destroyed or damaged at the epicenter.In the worst-hit areas, 794 people have been evacuated and moved to safety, and an elementary school suspended classes after structural damage was found. Relief materials have been sent to the vicitims.Artux lies in the southwest of Xinjiang, about 1,500 km from the regional capital Urumqi.Local authorities have sent teams to the affected areas to check for casualties and to inspect dangerous buildings damaged during the quake.Relief materials including 100 tents, eight tonnes of flour, 300 cotton quilts and coats, and 20 tonnes of coal were dispatched to Karajol by the city’s civil affairs department.Atux lies in the southwest of Xinjiang, about 1,500 km from the regional capital Urumqi.