21 Injured, Buildings Collapse As Earthquake Hits East China

Afimag.com –

About twenty one persons have reportedly injured and properties worth billions of dollars destroyed following a shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern China at the early hours of August 05, 2023.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) added that dozens of buildings also collapsed.

According to the USGS, the quake, which struck at 2:33 am (1833 GMT Saturday), hit 26 kilometres (16 miles) south of the city of Dezhou in Shandong province, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

It was the strongest to hit the province in more than a decade, state-run tabloid the Global Times said.

The quake was felt as far away Beijing and Tianjin, as well as in Shanghai, about 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the epicentre.

Videos on social media showed shaking light fixtures, trembling ground and people evacuating their buildings, with one clip showing people walking past bricks scattered on the ground.

Citing Shandong authorities, state broadcaster CCTV said there were at least 21 injured and that 126 houses or other buildings had “collapsed” from the earthquake, which was followed by 52 aftershocks.

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has launched a level-four emergency response and sent a team to Shandong province to lead the rescue work, according to state news agency Xinhua.