Two earthquakes struck Central Asia early on March 28, affecting parts of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The first tremor, with a magnitude of 5.5, occurred in southern Kazakhstan, approximately 133 kilometers from Bishkek. The Kyrgyz capital felt the tremors at 4:42 a.m., according to the Institute of Seismology at the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan. The quake registered a strength of four points in Bishkek and reached up to five points in parts of Kyrgyzstan’s Talas Region, which borders Kazakhstan.
A second, less powerful earthquake was recorded at 7:00 a.m. on the Chatkal Ridge in southwestern Kyrgyzstan. It registered a magnitude of 3.5.
According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations, five residential buildings and one educational institution sustained damage in the Talas Region following the first quake. An operational team has been dispatched to assess the extent of the damage.
“A state of emergency has been declared in connection with the earthquake recorded in Kazakhstan on March 28. An emergency meeting was held at 5 a.m. at the central office of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Crisis Management Center of Kyrgyzstan. First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Azamat Mambetov instructed officials to maintain a high alert regime,” the ministry’s press service reported.
No casualties have been reported.
Authorities have stated that the situation remains under control. Kyrgyzstan’s Crisis Management Center is in direct communication with its counterpart in Kazakhstan, with both agencies exchanging real-time updates.
Two major earthquakes were also recorded on March 28 in Southeast Asia. Seismologists from China and the United States reported tremors affecting Myanmar and Thailand. In Myanmar, the first quake registered a magnitude of 7.9 (with other sources citing 7.7), followed by a second at 6.4. The tremors were also felt in Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Laos, and China.
