Southern China quake kills two in Guangxi

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake in China’s Guangxi region killed two people, caused 13 buildings to collapse and left one person missing. State media said more than 7,000 people were evacuated as rescue efforts continued.

BEIJING: A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck China’s southern Guangxi region early on Monday, killing two people, causing multiple buildings to collapse and forcing the evacuation of thousands, according to state media.

State news agency Xinhua reported that the earthquake hit Liuzhou city in Guangxi at 12.21am (1621 GMT). It said two people were killed and one person was still missing as of Monday morning.

State broadcaster CCTV identified those killed as a couple — a 63-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman. The broadcaster said search and rescue operations were continuing to locate the missing person.

According to CCTV, 13 buildings collapsed in the affected area. It also said that more than 7,000 people had been evacuated by authorities following the quake.

Footage released by CCTV showed residents rushing out of high-rise buildings after the tremor. The videos also showed heaps of rubble beside homes that had been destroyed.

Rescue personnel were seen moving through debris while search dogs worked alongside them in an effort to detect signs of survivors. Emergency workers wearing helmets were also shown using earthmoving machinery to remove wreckage.

Rescue efforts under way

Chinese authorities continued rescue and recovery work after the earthquake, with teams deployed to the damaged area and evacuation measures carried out for local residents.

The missing person had not been found by Monday morning, according to Xinhua, while CCTV said rescue efforts remained ongoing.

Earthquakes common in China

Earthquakes occur relatively frequently in China. Earlier this year, in January, a major earthquake in the remote Tibet region killed at least 126 people and damaged thousands of buildings.

The latest quake in Guangxi added to a series of deadly seismic events that have affected different parts of the country in recent years.

State media reports focused on the immediate toll in Liuzhou, where the overnight earthquake caused fatalities, structural damage and large-scale evacuations as emergency teams continued their work.

Officials were continuing efforts to search through the debris and assess the impact of the quake in the affected parts of Liuzhou.