Quake aftermath: Damaged houses seen in Pingyuan county in Dezhou following a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that shook eastern China on Sunday. — AFP
BEIJING: An earthquake in eastern China before dawn on Sunday knocked down houses and injured at least 10 people, according to state media, but no deaths were reported.
The magnitude 5.5 quake occurred near the city of Dezhou, about 300km south of Beijing, the Chinese capital, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 5.4.
The quake caused 74 houses to collapse and 10 people were injured, government broadcaster China Central Television and other news outlets reported.
TV broadcasters showed Dezhou residents who ran outdoors after the quake sitting on sidewalks in the pre-dawn darkness. Video on social media showed bricks that had fallen from cracked walls.
Train lines were being inspected for possible damage, the official China News Service said. CCTV said gas service was shut off in some areas due to damage to pipes.
Dezhou and the surrounding area administered by the city have about 5.6 million people, according to the city government website.
The quake was centred about 10km below the surface, according to the CENC.
“The closer to the surface the earthquake is, the stronger you are going to feel it,” said Abreu Paris, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center. — AP
