At least 7 injured in early-morning earthquake in northwest China’s Gansu province

At least seven people were injured after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Longxi County in China’s Gansu province early on Saturday, shaking parts of northwest China.

According to China’s Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), the quake occurred at 5.49am local time at a depth of 10km, a report in Xinhua stated.

The epicentre was about 140 kilometres southeast of the provincial capital Lanzhou.

None of the reported injuries appear to be serious, and no casualties have been reported yet.

Neighbouring counties like Zhangxian, Weiyuan, Lintao in Dingxi, and Wushan in Tianshui also felt tremors. In the hours following the initial shock, 42 aftershocks were recorded, including two in the magnitude 4.0 to 4.9 range, raising concern among local residents about further structural safety.

Some residents also reported feeling tremors as far away as Xi’an, around 400 km to the east.

State media and local authorities say that eight houses were destroyed, and more than 110 buildings were damaged to varying degrees.

Videos released by CCTV show emergency workers clearing rubble and inspecting structural damage in rural villages.

Authorities at provincial and national levels mobilised rescue and assessment teams, dispatched firefighting and civil rescue forces, and initiated a level-IV national earthquake contingency response while simultaneously launching a stronger regional level-III emergency service response.

The ministry of emergency management has called for expedited verification of damage and deployment of relief resources.

Emergency management minister and deputy commander of the earthquake relief headquarters in China’s cabinet, Wang Xiangx,i has asked for “the rapid verification of the earthquake conditions and damage”.

Three train routes have been temporarily suspended, and a high-speed rail line near the quake zone operated at reduced speeds of 40–60 km/h as a precaution, according to a China Daily report.

Rescue personnel are reportedly checking power, communications, and transport networks for disruptions and structural vulnerabilities.

Gansu lies in a seismically active belt along the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, and past earthquakes there have proven devastating. In December 2023, a magnitude 6.2 quake in Jishishan county left 151 people dead.