2008 Kyrgyzstan earthquake

2008 Kyrgyzstan earthquake
Date October 5, 2008 (2008-10-05)
Magnitude 6.6 Mw
Depth 27.6 kilometres (17 mi)
Epicenter 39°50′54″N 73°46′4.8″E / 39.84833°N 73.768000°E / 39.84833; 73.768000
Areas affected Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China
Casualties 75 dead, 150 injured

The 2008 Kyrgyzstan earthquake struck on October 5 at 21:52 local time (15:52 UTC) with a moment magnitude of 6.6, killing 75 people, including 41 children,[1] and injuring 150 people, including 93 children.[2][3] The center of the earthquake was near the town of Nura, which was destroyed in the quake.[4] The shock destroyed 100 buildings in the area and destroyed the nearby village of Kura.[5] Minor damage also occurred in nearby Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The quake was felt throughout Central Asia.[5] A magnitude 5.7 aftershock in Xinjiang[6] and a magnitude 5.1 aftershock in Kyrgyzstan[2] followed the earthquake. Two more aftershocks above magnitude 5 in Kyrgyzstan[7][8] and one in Xinjiang[9] struck on October 13, UTC time. Victims were transported in military helicopters to hospitals in Osh.[10]

The Kyrgyzstan Emergency Ministry said that few buildings remained standing in the village: "Almost all buildings in the village have been destroyed. The only buildings remaining are the properly engineered ones which were built recently: the school and a medical clinic."[1] Kanatbek Abdrakhmatov, head of the Institute of Seismology, attributed much of the destruction due to inferior construction of the buildings, many of which were built out of clay and straw.[1]

The injured were paid 5,000 Kyrgyzstani soms (US$ 136) and 3 tons of coal, and families of the dead received 50 kg of flour.[11] 200 people wish to remain in Nura, and were provided with 100 6-person tents.[12] 100 mobile homes are being transported to Nura, and the village will be rebuilt in the spring of 2009, and should be completed by August 2009.[12] Uzbekistan pledged the equivalent of US$200,000 in humanitarian aid, including 120 tons of cement, as well as other building materials.[13]

In Kyrgyzstan, an official day of mourning was observed on October 7, 2008.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Namatbayeva, Tolkun (2008-10-08). "Choppers pick up quake injured". Canberra Times. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kyrgyzstan mourns after quake kills at least 74". Associated Press. 2008-10-07. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  3. ↑ "150 injured, 74 dead in Nura village, emergencies ministry says". 24 Kyrgyzstan. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  4. ↑ "Deadly earthquake hits Kyrgyzstan". BBC News. October 6, 2008. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  5. 1 2 Saralayeva, Leila (2008-10-06). "Earthquake kills at least 72 in Kyrgyzstan". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  6. ↑ "Magnitude 5.7 - SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA". USGS. October 5, 2008. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  7. ↑ "Magnitude 5.1 - KYRGYZSTAN". USGS. October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  8. ↑ "Magnitude 5.3 - KYRGYZSTAN". USGS. October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  9. ↑ "Magnitude 5.1 - SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA". USGS. October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  10. ↑ Stern, David L. (2008-10-06). "Quake Kills at Least 72 in Kyrgyzstan". New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  11. ↑ Kutueva, Aizada (2008-10-09). "Kyrgyz government allocates 36mln KGS for earthquake victims support". 24 Kyrgyzstan. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  12. 1 2 Cheban, Olga (2008-10-08). "New houses for earthquake victims to be built in spring 2009". 24 Kyrgyzstan. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  13. ↑ "Uzbekistan to provide humanitarian aid worth US$200,000 to Kyrgyz Republic". Turkish Weekly. 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
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