Two people have been confirmed dead, and one person is missing after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake jolted Liunan district in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, early on Monday.
The deceased were a married couple aged 63 and 53, authorities said. An individual is missing.
About 13 buildings have collapsed in the quake zones. There are reports of people sustaining injuries. Four people were sent to the hospital for treatment.
7000 residents from the area have been evacuated.
Pubic services, including communication power, water, and gas, remain operational.
However, transportation infrastructure has been a major concern. Railway authorities have suspended and delayed inspections on several routes.
The tremors struck at 12:21 am on Monday at a depth of 8 kilometres with it epicentre located in Taiyangcun town 16 kilometres away from down town Liuzhao, the Guangxi earthquake administration reported. The shallow depth of the quake intensified the ground shaking.
Tremors were clearly felt across Liuzhou, Guigang, Wuzhou, Hechi, Nanning and other nearby cities.
Chinese emergency management authorities have launched a multi-agency disaster response. A levek IV national emergency was also activated.
Liuzhou is a region known for steep limestone formations in river valleys.
Shallow earthquakes in the terrain amplified local damage due to unstable rock formations.
Experts have warned that there could be moderate aftershocks after shallow earthquakes.
