Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes Gansu county

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Tewo county in Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, with no casualties reported as of 3:30 pm Monday, local authorities said.

The earthquake occurred at 2:56 pm, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. It was recorded at a depth of 10 km, with the epicenter located at 34.06 degrees north latitude and 103.25 degrees east longitude.

In response, the prefecture has activated a Level 3 emergency response, confirmed by local emergency departments.

Additionally, the China Earthquake Administration also initiated a Level 4 emergency response, coordinating with Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai earthquake bureaus, to conduct emergency operations, according to the administration's website. Relevant units were instructed to collaborate on situation assessments, enhance seismic monitoring, and analyze post-quake trends, ensuring timely reporting of developments.

In the past five years, there have been 65 earthquakes of 3-magnitude or higher within a 200 km radius of the epicenter. The largest of these was a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that occurred on Dec 18, 2023, in Jishishan county, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture.