Earthquake hits southwest China; thousands evacuate, buildings collapse

Published 18 May, 2026 09:30am 1 min read
Rescue workers walk past a damaged building following an earthquake at Taiyang village in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. -- Reuters
Rescue workers walk past a damaged building following an earthquake at Taiyang village in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. -- Reuters

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake in China’s southwest region ​of Guangxi early on Monday ‌killed two and forced more than 7,000 people in the city of ​Liuzhou to evacuate as ​search and rescue operations continue and ⁠authorities warn of transport ​disruptions.

There were two confirmed deaths ​with one still missing, and four people were sent to the hospital, although ​none of them had ​life-threatening injuries, CCTV and state news agency ‌Xinhua ⁠said.

Thirteen buildings collapsed in the early hours of Monday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Transportation disruptions were ​also flagged ​by ⁠railway authorities as they inspected the integrity of ​rail line infrastructure.

Communication and ​power ⁠lines, water and gas supply, and traffic in the affected ⁠area ​were operating normally, ​state media reported.

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