5.5-magnitude quake hits Shandong, causing injuries and building collapse

(ECNS) -- The 5.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Pingyuan County in Dezhou City of east China's Shandong Province at 2:33 a.m. Sunday (Beijing Time) had injured at least 20 people and caused 126 buildings to collapse in the epicenter as of 7:00 a.m., according to the Shandong Provincial Emergency Center.

The epicenter was monitored at 37.16 degrees north latitude and 116.34 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10 km, said the China Earthquake Networks Center.

People living in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanxi Province felt the quake.

Some trains have been temporarily suspended due to the impact of the earthquake, according to China Railway Beijing Group.

Rescue trams, medical teams, and firefighting teams will be sent to relieve disaster in Pingyuan.

No earthquake of more than 5 magnitude had occurred before in Pingyuan in history, said Liu Xiqiang, deputy director of Shandong Earthquake Bureau. "The possibility of a larger earthquake following this one is low," he added.