5.2-magnitude earthquake hits China’s Guangxi region, two killed

The quake hit Liuzhou city at 12:21 am local time (1621 GMT), the official Xinhua News Agency reported

BEIJING: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 18^th, 2026) A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck China’s southern Guangxi region early Monday, killing two people, collapsing multiple buildings and prompting large-scale evacuations, according to state media reports.

The quake hit Liuzhou city at 12:21 am local time (1621 GMT), the official Xinhua news Agency reported.

Authorities said 13 buildings collapsed in the affected area, while one person remained missing as search operations continued.

China Central Television (CCTV) identified the victims as a married couple—a 63-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman. Rescue teams were still working to locate the missing individual as emergency efforts continued into the morning.

The officials said more than 7,000 residents were evacuated from vulnerable areas as a precaution following the tremors.

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Television footage broadcast by CCTV showed residents rushing out of high-rise buildings in panic, while collapsed homes and piles of debris were visible across affected neighbourhoods. Rescue personnel were seen carefully searching through rubble, supported by sniffer dogs trained to detect survivors, while heavy machinery was deployed to clear the wreckage.

Emergency responders wearing helmets and protective gear continued search and clearance operations throughout the impacted zones.

The earthquakes are relatively frequent in China due to its complex geological structure. In January last year, a powerful earthquake struck the remote Tibet region, killing at least 126 people and damaging thousands of buildings, highlighting the country’s ongoing vulnerability to seismic activity.