3 dead, dozens hurt as quake hits border

Three people were killed and dozens injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck along the mountainous China-Kyrgyzstan border yesterday, authorities said. The major quake was registered just after 2:00 am at a depth of 13 kilometres in China's Xinjiang region, about 140 kilometres west of the city of Aksu. Local authorities dispatched a team to the quake's epicentre, Beijing's Xinhua state news agency said, while around 800 people were on standby for any large disaster relief mission. The earthquake caused three deaths, while five other people sustained injuries, CCTV reported yesterday evening.