Two powerful earthquakes hit China: Reports of 3 people dead

Two separate, strong earthquakes that struck in China have resulted in, at least, 3 fatalities.

The 2 seismic shocks occurred within a 5 hour time period on May 21, 2021. The first one (M 6.1) struck close to the city of Dali, a tourist attraction that is located in southern China near the borders with Myanmar. The second earthquake was stronger with a magnitude of M 7.3 and occurred in Qinghai province, north-eastern China. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), both temblors were relatively shallow and occurred at similar epicentral depths (about 10 kilometers).

The earthquake caused severe issues in the Yunnan province where at least 192 buildings collapsed and about 20,000 people had to evacuate their residences (mostly in mountainous regions). Moreover, road damage and ground failures (mostly landslides) have caused power outages and communication issues. Numerous people were injured with, at least, 3 reported dead. Authorities organized rescue operations and provided help to the affected population.

The M 7.3 seismic shock struck along an oblique-slip fault which had both a strike-slip and a normal faulting component. USGS suggests that even if the earthquake occurred just 5 hours after the M 6.1 shock, it is unlikely that the 2 incidents are connected as the 2 epicenters are about 1000km away. The temblor struck in the eastern section of the Tibetan Plateau where extension takes place. The region has experienced similar strong earthquakes in the past with 2 of them having a magnitude of more than M7.0.

Fortunately, no casualties associated with the second earthquake have been reported yet. Nevertheless, infrastructure damage was caused as 2 bridges and two sections of roads collapsed. The earthquake was followed by intense aftershocks and authorities advised people to evacuate their houses as temporal shelters were established.

China is frequently hit by strong seismic shocks. In 2008, the M7.9 Sichuan earthquake that struck about 80km west-northwest of Chengdu, resulted in more than 69,000 casualties, massive infrastructure damage and numerous landslides. Around $137.5 billion were dedicated to rebuilding infrastructure in the affected regions.

A video on the ground shaking and the infrastructure damage caused by the M 7.3 earthquake in Qinghai province can be found in the Media section below.