A 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit the city of Baoshan in Southwest China's Yunnan Province late on May 2, 2023. Photo: VCG

Ten mild injuries were reported in Baoshan, Southwest China's Yunnan Province after a magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit the city on Tuesday, as early warning messages appeared on cell phones, loudspeakers and TV screens, averting casualties. 

The earthquake occurred in the Longyang district of Baoshan at 11:27 pm on Tuesday, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers.

As of 1 pm on Wednesday, 10 people had been reported as having sustained minor injuries in Baoshan. Nine have been discharged from hospitals with one still under further medical observation, according to the disaster relief department of the city.

The Global Times learned from an official in the Baoshan government on Wednesday afternoon that the quake caused certain damage to local properties, power and water supplies and communications, but everything has been restored. Everyone affected by the disaster was transferred to low-risk areas, she said.

Roads and railways resumed operation after an overnight period of rescue work.

The earthquake was strongly felt by local residents when it struck the Longyang district, shaking houses and causing some residents to evacuate. Just 11 minutes later, a second 4.4-magnitude came and it was equally noticeable.

"I woke up from the shaking that I thought was my classmate attempting to shake me awake, but it turned out to be a quake," a netizen said on Tuesday night.

The quake worried tourists on their May Day holidays. "I'm going from Lijiang to Dali tomorrow and Kunming the day after tomorrow. I'm a little scared now," one posted online.

About 2,800 dwellings near the epicenter in Longyang were damaged to various degrees, the department said. Photos and videos circulating online showed some buildings had sustained fractures, paint had fallen off and some vehicles had been damaged by falling debris.

A seismogenic fault was detected in the Lancang River, the Yunnan provincial earthquake authority confirmed.

In the wake of the earthquake, the local rescue department activated its level-III emergency response, rapidly deploying to the earthquake-hit region area.

Some 2,400 rescue personnel were dispatched to earthquake-hit regions, with 365 tents and 734 beds delivered to the sites, according to the disaster relief department of Baoshan on Wednesday. 

More than 11,000 residents living in and around the epicenter in Longyang were safely transferred, the department said. 

Eighty-eight seconds before the earthquake hit the city of Baoshan, residents of Kunming were notified by public alarms, TVs and text messages as early warnings were sent, which helped avert major casualties.

"Please remain calm, stay away from suspended objects and avoid taking elevators. Choose a safe open area and avoid risk," the warning message on the cell phones of residents read.

A warning message appeared on the phones of residents 12 seconds before the earthquake shook the city. Photo: Institute of Care-Life, a disaster-reduction lab based in Chengdu

It was the 77th time that the Earthquake Early Warning Network had issued pre-alerts before a major earthquake since 2011, the Global Times learned from the Institute of Care-Life, a disaster reduction lab based in Chengdu.

The epicenter was 29 kilometers from Baoshan and 347 kilometers from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan.

Residents in many cities neighboring the epicenter said they had received the early warnings as well. Residents in Baoshan received the message four seconds before they felt the ground shaking. Those who live in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, 99 kilometers from the epicenter, received the early warning 25 seconds in advance and those who live in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, 123 kilometers from the epicenter, received the warning 32 seconds ahead.

Since the Earthquake Early Warning Network was launched in 2010, it has been extended to cover 2.4 million square kilometers, accounting for about 90 percent of the country's densely populated earthquake-prone areas, Wang Dun, the head of the Institute of Care-Life and Director of Sichuan Key Laboratory of Earthquake Early Warning, told the Global Times.

The warning system has issued 77 early warnings for life-threatening earthquakes, including a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Ludian in 2013, a 7 magnitude earthquake in Lushan in 2013 and a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Luding in 2022, Wang noted.