While two people were killed in southwest China following a moderate earthquake, strong tremors of 6.0 magnitude rattled the Vanuatu islands.
China earthquake leaves two dead
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit China’s Guangxi region early on Monday, May 18, killing two people and forcing over 7,000 residents in Liuzhou city to evacuate, Reuters reported citing Chinese state media.
According to CCTV and Xinhua, one person remained missing while four others were hospitalised, though none suffered life-threatening injuries.
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Authorities said 13 buildings collapsed due to the tremor, prompting rescue teams to continue search and relief operations in the affected areas.
Railway authorities also warned of possible transport disruptions as inspections of rail infrastructure were carried out after the quake.
Despite the damage, communication systems, power supply, water, gas lines and road traffic in the region were reported to be functioning normally, state media said, as per Reuters.
Strong tremors jolt Vanuatu islands
Meanwhile, the Vanuatu islands experienced a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, May 19, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said, reported Reuters. The shallow quake struck at a depth of 10 km.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported that the earthquake struck near Port Vila in Shefa Province at around 1:29 pm local time, as per Mint.
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A subsequent 5.8 magnitude aftershock later shook the Coral Sea near Efate Island at a depth of 37 km.
Vanuatu, an 83-island archipelago in the South Pacific, lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The country is highly vulnerable to earthquakes because of tectonic activity involving the Indo-Australian Plate and the New Hebrides microplate.
