Two Dead and Thousands Evacuated After 5.2-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern China
Thirteen buildings collapse and rescue operations get underway in Liuzhou after a shallow tremor rattles the Guangxi region in the early hours
- A 5.2-magnitude earthquake in the city of Liuzhou in Southern China has killed at least two people.
- More than 7,000 residents were forced to evacuate, with one person reported missing and four others hospitalized.
- The tremor caused the collapse of at least 13 buildings, triggering a large-scale emergency and rescue response.
Thirteen buildings collapse and rescue operations get underway in Liuzhou after a shallow tremor rattles the Guangxi region in the early hours.
A shallow 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Liuzhou in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the early hours of Monday, killing at least two people and forcing more than 7,000 residents to evacuate.
According to local authorities and state media, one person remains missing as emergency crews conduct urgent search and rescue operations. A further four people have been hospitalised, though officials confirmed none of their injuries are life-threatening.
The tremor hit the city’s Liunan District at 12:21am on Monday at a relatively shallow depth of 8 kilometres, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
Emergency response activated
The disaster triggered an immediate, large-scale emergency response across multiple levels of government. The Ministry of Emergency Management and the office of the State Council earthquake relief headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response on Monday, dispatching a specialised work team to the affected area to steer relief efforts.
Regionally, the China Earthquake Administration and Guangxi's local headquarters launched a more severe Level-III emergency response by 2:00am.
A massive rescue contingent, including 51 fire and rescue vehicles and 315 emergency personnel, was rapidly deployed to the quake-hit district.
Local authorities have been ordered to verify casualties and infrastructural damage as a matter of urgency, oversee the ongoing evacuation of displaced residents, and strictly monitor the area for potential aftershocks.
Infrastructure damage and transport disruption
State broadcaster CCTV reported that at least 13 buildings collapsed during the initial tremor.
While state media confirmed that communication networks, power lines, water and gas supplies, and general road traffic are currently operating normally, regional transport has faced setbacks.
Railway authorities have flagged widespread disruptions to train schedules as engineers carry out safety inspections to check the structural integrity of local rail line infrastructure.
Search and rescue teams remain on the scene as the hunt for the missing resident continues.
