Two 4M earthquakes hit Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan within hours

Two separate earthquakes, both of just over magnitude 4, hit Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan about 12 hours apart. The Kyrgyzstan quake caused no reported damage or injuries, and the US Geological Survey reported no casualties from the tremor in Tajikistan.

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck Kyrgyzstan at 1:08am local time on Thursday, according to the Institute of Seismology of Kyrgyzstan. Its epicentre was located in the Jumgal district of Naryn region, near the village of Min-Kush, at a depth of 21km.

Kyrgyz authorities said the intensity at the epicentre was about four points. No damages or injuries were reported.

The quake came on the heels of a separate magnitude 4.1 quake in eastern Tajikistan on Wednesday afternoon. The epicentre was located by the USGS some 97km east-northeast of Khorugh in the Gorno-Badakhshan region, but at a much greater depth of some 122km.

The Tajikistan quake hit at around 1.34pm local time on 19 August, some 11 and a half hours before the tremor in Kyrgyzstan. The USGS has classified the event as reviewed. The available data provide no evidence that the two earthquakes were related.

Colombia earthquake in the western hemisphere 

The relatively weak quakes in Central Asia come days after a far more destructive earthquake hit western Colombia, but there is no sign the two incidents are connected. Colombia’s disaster agency said the death toll from the 7.4-magnitude quake on 10 August had risen to 314, with 262 people still missing and more than 4,400 injured.

The 7.6 magnitude quake hit near San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó at a depth of about 110km and was the strongest in Colombia this century. Damage extended well beyond the epicentral area to the western Coffee Axis and major cities. Authorities reported that more than 262,000 people were affected in 471 municipalities across 15 departments.