5.2 magnitude quake in Liuzhou kills 2

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck Liuzhou in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region early on Monday, leaving two people dead while a 91-year-old man was successfully rescued from beneath the rubble, authorities said.

The quake hit at 00:21 am with a shallow focal depth of 8 kilometers, regional seismological authorities confirmed. Its epicenter was in Taiyangcun town, approximately 16 km from central Liuzhou.

Five aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 2.2 to 3.2 with a peak of 3.3, followed. Tremors were distinctly felt across Liuzhou and neighboring cities including Nanning, Guigang, Wuzhou and Hechi.

By 4 am, 13 buildings had collapsed in the quake-stricken areas, and more than 7,000 local residents were evacuated to safe grounds. Local communications, power grids, water supply, gas services and road traffic remained intact, officials added.

State and regional disaster response mechanisms were activated immediately after the quake.

China's emergency management authorities rolled out a Level IV national earthquake emergency response and dispatched an on-site task force to oversee relief work.

Guangxi launched a matching initiative, sending a 38-member expert team to conduct seismic monitoring and disaster assessments. Liuzhou activated a Level III local emergency response at 1 am, marshaling fire, police, transport and utility rescue teams. A contingent of 315 firefighters aboard 51 rescue vehicles raced straight to the quake's epicenter.

At 8:14 am, rescuers retrieved two victims from collapsed residential buildings in Taiyangcun community, medics later pronounced them dead. The victims were identified as a 63-year-old man and his 53-year-old wife.