At least three dead and five injured are the so far toll of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that shook the Chinese province of Xinjiang at 02:09 in the morning on Tuesday (local time, 20:09 on Monday in Greece), according to the Xinhua news agency.

Five villages, located within a radius of 20 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake, suffered the most significant damages. According to information from the regional authorities, 47 buildings collapsed and another 78 suffered significant damage, while 12,426 people were forced to leave their homes.

The earthquake disturbed its inhabitants Almaty, Kazakhstan’s most populous city, where more than 40 injuries were reported. It was also felt in Kyrgyzstan and to Uzbekistan.

Last month, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit its Gansu province northwest China had claimed the lives of 148 people. It was China’s deadliest earthquake since 2014, when more than 600 people died in Yunnan province (southwest).