Buildings Collapsed as 5.4 Quake Hits East China

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake rocked eastern China in the early hours of Sunday. According to official media, the earthquake caused at least 10 injuries and the destruction of dozens of structures.

Social media videos displayed swaying light fixtures, trembling ground, and people fleeing their homes. One film showed individuals passing bricks lying on the ground.

The quake, which occurred at 2:33 am (18:33 GMT Saturday), struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, 26 kilometers (16 miles) south of the city of Dezhou in Shandong Province.

"The tremor was so strong... during the earthquake my head was shaking on the pillow, I thought I was having a nightmare," one person posted on social media platform Weibo from Shandong's neighbouring Hebei province.

According to past earthquake data, the USGS's PAGER system, which offers early evaluations of the effects of earthquakes, issued a red alert, suggesting that substantial damage and several deaths were possible.

State broadcaster CCTV said that 74 homes or structures had "collapsed" as a result of the earthquake, which was followed by 52 aftershocks, and that at least "10 injured" people had been reported, according to Shandong officials.

According to official news agency Xinhua, China's Ministry of Emergency Management activated a level four emergency response and sent a team to the province of Shandong to oversee the rescue operations.

Shanghai, some 800 kilometers from the epicenter, as well as the cities of Beijing and Tianjin, each experienced the tremor.

"I can't say anything except that it's scary," another Weibo user said.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in China but it is rare for them to hit the eastern part of the country where most of the population and big cities are located.

An official from the Shandong Seismological Bureau said the possibility of a larger earthquake is "very small", according to local media.

Source: AFP