Global Economy

Strong earthquake hits southern China; injuries reported


Changning, China

Source: Google Maps

A strong earthquake hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night and some people were injured, officials and news reports said.

The U.S. Geological Survey warned there could casualties and significant damage. It said the earthquake measured magnitude 5.9 and hit about 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Changning. The nearest major city, Chongqing, is 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the northeast.

The quake was centered at a fairly shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), the USGS said. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage to buildings and infrastructure.

An aftershock measuring magnitude 5.2 later hit near the same area, it said.

The Beijing Youth Daily said some people had been injured, but that could not be immediately confirmed. The emergency management ministry said firefighters have been sent to the area as rescuers.

A 1976 earthquake centered in the northeastern city of Tangshan killed at least 250,000 people. China’s worst earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan province in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people. That earthquake was about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Monday’s quake.



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