A magnitude-5.2 earthquake struck the southwest Chinese region of Guangxi in the early hours of Monday, May 18, killing two people, leaving one missing, and prompting the evacuation of more than 7,000 residents from the city of Liuzhou. Four others were hospitalised, though none sustained life-threatening injuries, according to state broadcaster CCTV and the official Xinhua news agency.

Thirteen buildings collapsed as a result of the tremor, which hit while most residents were still asleep. The two confirmed fatalities were identified as a couple — a 63-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman — found beneath the rubble of a collapsed structure. Search and rescue teams, including trained dogs and workers operating earthmovers, continued to comb the debris for the missing person. Footage broadcast by CCTV showed residents fleeing high-rise buildings, piles of rubble beside destroyed homes, and emergency crews in helmets clearing wreckage at the site of Taiyang village in Liuzhou.

Güangxi, officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is a densely populated area in southern China bordering Vietnam, home to the Zhuang people, China's largest ethnic minority group. Liuzhou is one of the region's major industrial cities. Railway authorities in the area reported transport disruptions as engineers inspected rail infrastructure for damage. Utilities including electricity, communications, water, and gas supply were reported to be functioning normally in the affected zone.

While the earthquake's magnitude was moderate by global standards, its shallow depth and proximity to populated areas amplified its destructive impact. Authorities have not yet released details on the depth of the quake or its precise epicentre. The scale of the evacuation and the building collapses point to the vulnerability of older construction in the area. Search and rescue operations were ongoing as of Monday morning, with emergency teams prioritising the search for the still-missing individual.