Quake strikes western China

2008-05-12 09:51

Beijing - A quake measured at magnitude 7.5 struck western China on Monday, shaking buildings in cities as far away as Beijing and the business hub of Shanghai.

The quake struck 92km northwest of the Sichhuan provincial capital of Chengdu at 06:28 GMT, the US Geological Survey said on its website. It said the 7.5-magnitude quake was centred 10km below the surface.

Calls to emergency response numbers in Chengdu rang constantly busy on Monday. An eyewitness reached by phone in Chengdu said people flooded from buildings, but there was no sign of damage or injuries.

The area where the quake lies on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau where mountains rise sharply and the population density is generally thin.

In the Chinese capital Beijing, about 1 500km away, buildings swayed for more than two minutes but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Frightened office workers and shoppers lingered outside buildings in the central business district, even half-an hour after the shaking stopped.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake is considered a major event, capable of causing widespread damage and injuries in populated areas.

In the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, 160km off the southeastern Chinese, buildings swayed when the quake hit. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The quake was felt as far away as the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, where some people hurried out of swaying office buildings and into the streets downtown.

- AP