Earthquake hits southwest China; thousands evacuate, buildings collapse

Earthquake hits southwest China; thousands evacuate, buildings collapse

Reuters

 A magnitude 5.2 earthquake in China's southwest region of Guangxi early on Monday killed two and forced more than 7,000 in the city of Liuzhou to evacuate as search and rescue operations continue and authorities warn of transport disruptions.

 There were two confirmed deaths with one still missing, and four people were sent to the hospital, although none of them had life-threatening injuries, CCTV and state news agency Xinhua said.

• Thirteen buildings collapsed in the early hours of Monday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

• Transportation disruptions were also flagged by railway authorities as they inspected the integrity of rail line infrastructure.

• Communication and power lines, water and gas supply, and traffic in the affected area were operating normally, state media reported

Several Buildings Collapse After 5.2 Earthquake Hits China

Sagar Kar

A predawn earthquake shook the city of Liuzhou and surrounding areas in southern China on Monday, collapsing buildings and sending rescue teams scrambling in the dark.

The quake hit at 12:21 a.m. local time, centered in the Liunan District of Liuzhou, a city of more than four million people in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Both the USGS and China's seismological agency put the magnitude at 5.2, with a shallow depth of around 5 miles, or 8 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more surface damage than deeper ones of similar strength.

Strong shaking rippled through Liuzhou and the surrounding region. About a dozen structures collapsed, trapping and injuring people inside. Xinhua news agency, citing local reports, said three people remain missing and four others have been taken to hospital.

Emergency, fire and police personnel were dispatched to the epicenter area almost immediately. By 2 a.m., 51 fire and rescue vehicles and 315 personnel were on the ground working the affected zone.

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck near Liuzhou in China's Guangxi region in the early hours of Monday morning, bringing down around a dozen structuresLocal authorities have been instructed to verify casualties and damage as quickly as possible, push forward search and rescue operations, get affected residents safely evacuated and keep a close watch on aftershock activity.