Quake rattles Inner Mongolia
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-03-25 01:07

No casualties were reported late Wednesday in the wake of an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale that rocked a sparsely populated area of North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"Although 13 aftershocks with a maximum of 3.5 were monitored following the major shock -- the strongest of its type so far this year -- no immediate casualties or damage was reported" said Zeng Guoping, an official of Inner Mongolia's regional seismological bureau, told China Daily at an interview through telephone.

The earthquake hit central-eastern part of Inner Mongolia at 9:53 am, according to the China Seismological Bureau.

"It was a shallow one that occurred on the northeast seismic belt which has reported several quakes with a magnitude above 5 last August," said Zeng, fearing that, in the tremor-jolted area, at least 30 per cent of the houses -- mostly adobes or brick-structured buildings and tents -- might be damaged.

"The major difficulties for homeless victims there is to find shelter during cold spring days since the weather remains minus 10 Cat night," Ba Tu, an official with seismological station in Xilin Gol League, said.

The epicenter of the quake, located at 45.4 degrees north latitude and 118.2 degrees east longitude, is in the juncture area between Dong Ujimqin Banner and Xi Ujimqin Banner and is 230 kilometres from Xilin Hot.

Tremors were so strong that they could be felt in Chengde of Hebei Province near Beijing, Chaoyang of Liaoning Province and Baicheng of Jilin Province in Northeast China.

More than 40 emergency rescue officials from the China Seismological Bureau and local seismological bureau of Inner Mongolia were rushing to the quake-jolted areas Wednesday to investigate the situation and help deal with the aftermath or launch rescue operations, if needed.

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