Two moderate earthquakes jolted the north and northwestern parts of China today, killing at least one person and toppling scores of houses.
A 4.5 magnitude quake hit Lintao county of the northwestern Gansu province at 3:08 pm, killing one person in Yaogou village, about 20 km from the epicentre, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). A resident of Xinyong village was injured and has been taken to hospital.
In another incident, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit Alashan Left Banner in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous region at 3:39 pm.
At a depth of 10 kilometres, the centre was monitored at 39.8 degrees north and 106.3 degrees east. The quake was followed by a 4.0 magnitude aftershock five minutes later, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
No casualties or property damage have been reported, as the area is remote and sparsely populated, but local authorities are still checking possible damage.
The quake was also felt in the nearby cities of Yinchuan and Shizuishan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Wuwei and Baiyin in Gansu Province. Several trains running through Ningxia were delayed.
