Two people died in China’s southwest region of Guangxi after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday morning, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.
One person was missing and more than 7,000 residents have been evacuated from Liuzhou city after the earthquake damaged buildings and disrupted transport services.
Search and rescue operations have been launched in the city of Liuzhou in the early hours of Monday, according to Chinese state media.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), the earthquake struck at a depth of 8km at 0.21am local time in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
There were two confirmed deaths, while one person remained missing, state broadcaster CCTV and state news agency Xinhua reported. Four people were taken to the hospital, although none suffered life-threatening injuries.
On Monday afternoon, the search for several missing residents wrapped up, after the last trapped person, a 91-year-old man, was found alive in good condition, authorities said.
CCTV said 13 buildings collapsed following the quake, prompting large-scale evacuation efforts across affected areas of the city.
Videos showed rescue teams working through the night, with operations continuing into daylight as several collapsed buildings were seen in the affected area.
A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Liuzhou, a city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, early Monday, leaving two dead and one missing, local authorities said. #China #earthquake pic.twitter.com/INIWGf0Wjp
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) May 18, 2026
Railway authorities warned of possible transportation disruptions as inspections of rail infrastructure and tracks were carried out to assess damage caused by the tremor.
Despite the destruction, communication and power lines, along with water and gas supplies, were operating normally in the affected region, state media reported.
Search and rescue operations with a total of 51 fire and rescue vehicles and over 300 personnel were ongoing on Monday as authorities continued efforts to locate the missing person and assess the full extent of the damage.
The latest 5.2 earthquake appeared to be the strongest in recent years in Liuzhou area, an industrial area known for its mountainous landscape, river valleys and manufacturing base. The city lies along the Liu River and is surrounded by limestone hills typical of southern China’s karst terrain.
In January 2025, a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 126 people and flattening hundreds of houses and causing tremors felt in Nepal, Bhutan and India. Many others were injured and trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the remote region. Rescue workers climbed mounds of broken bricks, some using ladders in heavily damaged villages, as they searched for survivors.
