Earthquake of 5.2-magnitude hits southwest China, several buildings collapse - VIDEO

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck south China's Guangxi region on Monday (May 18), killing at least two people and causing 13 buildings to collapse. The quake hit at 12:21 a.m. local time, centered in the Liunan District of Liuzhou, a city of more than four million people in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Both the U.S. Geological Survey and China's seismological agency put the magnitude at 5.2. State broadcaster CCTV identified the deceased as a couple -- a 63-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman. Authorities have so far evacuated over 7,000 people from the area. Emergency, fire, and police authorities are at the scene and are carrying out rescue operations. In January 2025, a devastating quake in the remote Tibet region killed at least 126 people and damaged thousands of buildings.

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Are earthquake common in China?

Yes, earthquakes are relatively common in China because the country lies near several active tectonic plate boundaries, especially where the Indian Plate collides with the Eurasian Plate. Regions such as Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan and Xinjiang are particularly prone to seismic activity. China has experienced some of the world’s deadliest earthquakes, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. While southern areas like Guangxi are less quake-prone, moderate tremors still occur occasionally.