Chinese city of Tangshan hit by magnitude 5.1 quake, stirring memories of 1976 tragedy
- Tremor leaves only minor damage and no one hurt, but was linked to quake that killed 242,000 people 44 years ago, Beijing Earthquake Agency says
- Local rail services were temporarily suspended after early morning quake, but were returning to normal after lunch
The north China city of Tangshan was hit by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake on Sunday morning, stirring memories of the massive tremor that rocked the region in 1976, killing at least 242,000 people.
The quake happened at about 6.38am in the city in Hebei province about 180km (112 miles) east of Beijing, according to state media reports.
While there were no reports of any deaths or injuries, the force of the blast was said to have been felt as far away as the capital.
The Beijing Earthquake Agency said in a statement on Weibo – China’s Twitter-like platform – that Sunday’s tremor was related to the magnitude 7.8 Great Tangshan Earthquake that struck 44 years ago, as it happened in its aftershock zone.
The quakes were caused by a geological fault in the region, the agency said, adding that the likelihood of tremors of magnitude 5 or above happening remained low.
Sunday’s tremor was the largest of 17 to hit an area with a 300km radius monitored by the agency – which also includes several other important cities, like Tianjin – in the past five years, it said.