6.3 magnitude earthquake stroke 230 km from Almaty; many of Almaty residents fearful

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook the ground 227 km from Almaty, Tengrinews.kz reports reffering to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. The earthquake was registered on January 28 at 22.38 Astana time. The epicenter was 227 km to the east of Almaty at the depth of 10 km. The earthquake was clearly felt in Almaty city as an unusually long series of very tangible horizontal swings that lasted for 3 or 4 minutes. Lanterns were swinging and windows were cracking in an undertone. The quake got many of the residents rushing out of the buildings in fear. "It felt like a 6 magnitude," they said. Many could keep about their nerves, however, calling it "a pajamas party in the street". According to the Seismological Research Expedition of the Science Committee of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education and Science, the earthquake’s energy class was 15.1. The coordinates of the epicenter were 42.64 northern latitude, 79.57 eastern longitude. There have been no report of casualties or destructions. The earthquake was followed by three more quakes of increasing magnitude in Almaty Oblast according to the Seismological Research Expedition. A 4.5-magnitude earthquake was registered at 23.09 Astana time 225 km to the south-east of Almaty. Then a 4.7 earthquake was registered at 23.12 232 km to the south-east of Almaty and a 5.1 earthquake at 23.31 225 km south east of Almaty.