A magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocked a sparsely populated part of Tajikistan at 5:37 am local time Thursday, the China Earthquake Network Center said.
The USGS said the quake had a magnitude of 6.8.
The measurements of different agencies often differ.
The epicenter was in the Pamir Mountains at a depth of 21 km, 67 km west of the mountain village of Murgab, about 82 km from the nearest border with China.
An hour later, an aftershock of magnitude 4.9 occurred.
The tremors were strongly felt in parts of China’s western Xinjiang region, including the city of Kashgar.
Power supply and communications in Kashgar remained normal, Chinese state media reported.
The Xinjiang Railway Authority has stopped passenger train traffic on the Aksu-Kashgar section of the South Xinjiang Railway.
Local authorities are inspecting bridges, tunnels and signal equipment.
So far, no casualties or damage have been reported.
