Photo: weibo

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake hit Yongqing county, in Langfang, North China's Hebei Province early Wednesday morning with people in most parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region feeling the earthquake as the epicenter was 55 kilometers away from Beijing. 

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), the quake happened at 1:21 am with a focal depth of 20 kilometers. After the earthquake, the China Earthquake Administration quickly launched a third-level emergency response. 

In Hebei, tremors were felt in Yongqing, Gu'an, Bazhou, Anci, Guangyang, and other counties (cities, districts) of Langfang city. Communication, power supply, and transportation remain normal, with no reports of casualties or property damage. The Bureau of Emergency Management of Langfang City has dispatched on-site personnel to the epicenter to assess the situation, and any updates will be reported promptly, Chinanews.com reported. 

Several villages and towns are located within a 5-kilometer radius of the earthquake's epicenter. The epicenter is 13 kilometers from Yongqing county, 15 kilometers from Langfang's urban area, and 55 kilometers from Beijing's urban area. 

According to CENC, there have been a total of eight earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or above within 200 kilometers of the epicenter in the past five years, with this earthquake being the strongest. 

After the earthquake, China's national earthquake early warning project automatically generated early warning information in real time with the WeChat mini-program "China Earthquake Networks Center" sending early warning notifications to 251,692 users in the surrounding areas, according to China Central Television.

People in multiple regions, including Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin, felt noticeable shaking. Many Sina Weibo users also mentioned that they were woken up by the earthquake alert on their phones. "The alarm went off just as I fell asleep," one netizen said, while another netizen remarked, "I thought it was just my imagination." 

Some university students in Beijing were awakened by the earthquake and rushed downstairs to open areas for safety, according to a video clip published by Haike News. 

The 4.2-magnitude earthquake in Yongqing struck just 13 kilometers from Beijing's nearest point, causing tremors across much of the city, according to the Beijing Earthquake Agency. The maximum intensity reached level 4, which is far below Beijing's seismic fortification intensity. No structural damage occurred in Beijing, and the earthquake will not affect the normal life and production activities in the city.

There is a low chance of another magnitude-4 or higher earthquake occurring in the same area soon. The quake will not influence seismic activity in Beijing. There are no significant seismic precursors in Beijing, and the probability of an earthquake of magnitude 5 or above in the near term remains very low, according to Beijing Earthquake Agency. 

Global Times