A strong earthquake in Tajikistan was felt across much of Asia

 An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 - according to the China Seismological Center - occurred in eastern Tajikistan. The USGS estimates a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale.

The hypocenter was at a depth of 20 km. The nearest city of Murgob is 67 km from the epicenter and has a population of 10,000. people.

Two earthquakes occurred in a short time: the first with a magnitude of 6.8 at 05:37 local time, the second with a magnitude of 5.0 at 05:55.

The quake occurred about 82 km from the nearest Chinese border and was felt strongly in parts of China's western Xinjiang region. Chinese state media reported that the Xinjiang Railway Authority stopped passenger trains on a section of the South Xinjiang Railway. Local authorities control bridges, tunnels and signaling devices.