Earthquake hits southwest China; thousands evacuate, buildings collapse

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake in China’s southwest region of ​Guangxi early on Monday killed two and forced more than 7,000 in the city of Liuzhou to evacuate as search ‌and rescue ‌operations continue ​and authorities ‌warn ⁠of ​transport disruptions.

There were two confirmed deaths with one still missing, and four people were sent to the ⁠hospital, although none ‌of ‌them had life-threatening injuries, ​CCTV and ‌state news agency ‌Xinhua said.

Thirteen buildings collapsed in the early hours of Monday, state broadcaster CCTV ‌reported.

Transportation disruptions were also flagged by ⁠railway authorities ⁠as they inspected the integrity of rail line infrastructure.

Communication and power lines, water and gas supply, and traffic in the affected area were operating normally, ​state media reported.