Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake Hits Northwest China's Gansu Province, Three Aftershocks and 42 Tremors Reported

Seven Injured and Houses Collapsed in Earthquake Damage

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Gansu Province in northwest China at around 5:49 a.m. local time on the 27th, injuring seven people and causing the collapse of several houses.

According to Yonhap News, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake occurred in Longxi County, Dingxi City, Gansu Province (latitude 34.89°N, longitude 104.59°E). The epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers and located 148 kilometers from Tianshui City. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported the depth of the epicenter as 35 kilometers.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Gansu Province in northwest China at around 5:49 a.m. on the 27th (local time). Photo captured from China Earthquake Networks Center

Local media reported that, following the earthquake, Gansu Province fire authorities immediately mobilized 280 firefighters, 42 fire trucks, and more than 2,000 pieces of equipment to the affected area.

According to Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency and others, the earthquake resulted in the collapse of eight houses and damage to more than 110 houses. Tremors were reportedly felt in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, as well as in Tianshui City at the time of the earthquake.

By 7:49 a.m. on the same day, a total of 42 aftershocks had occurred, including three with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher.

Meanwhile, in light of recent seismic activity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim, experts have analyzed that the world has entered a period of heightened earthquake activity, with a high likelihood of frequent major earthquakes in the future. Last month, former Earthquake Prediction Center Director Guo Kaiwen stated that a magnitude 6.0 earthquake had occurred the previous day in the waters near Yilan County, eastern Taiwan, and noted this trend.

In Taiwan, earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or higher have occurred an average of 2.5 to 3 times per year. However, a review of records from the past five years shows that the number of such earthquakes has clearly increased compared to before. He further cautioned that the world has already entered a period of heightened seismic activity and warned of a significant possibility of frequent earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.0 or higher going forward.