Emergency response after shallow China quake

BEIJING: Officials in China launched an emergency response late on Monday following a shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake that sent strong tremors through the country´s northwest, state media reported.

The earthquake hit at a depth of 10-kms at 11:59 pm local time on Monday (1559 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey, which revised the magnitude downward after initially reporting 6.0.

Areas in Gansu province as well as neighbouring Qinghai province experienced strong shakes, according to the Xinhua news outlet, with many residents running into the street following the quake. Local emergency management and fire departments were dispatched, and casualties and damage were being investigated, Xinhua said.

According to USGS, the quake occurred some 100-kms southwest of the province´s capital, Lanzhou, and was followed by several smaller aftershocks. Earthquakes are not uncommon in the country. In August a shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern China, injuring 23 people and collapsing dozens of buildings.