5.1-magnitude quake hits north China, no casualties reported

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Guye District of Tangshan City in north China's Hebei Province at 6:38am Sunday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The epicenter was monitored at 39.78 degrees north latitude and 118.44 degrees east longitude, with the quake striking at a depth of 10 km, the CENC said.

Strong tremors were felt in the nearby regions including Beijing.

A 2.2-magnitude quake and a 2.0-magnitude quake hit the district again at 7:02am and 7:26am Sunday respectively.

No casualties have been reported so far. The public are in a stable mood and the emergency response work is being carried out in an orderly manner, according to the city government's information office.

The province has launched a level III emergency response, the second lowest in China's four-tier emergency response system, for earthquakes.

Firefighters have been dispatched to the district. The railway department immediately launched the emergency plan to suspend passenger trains passing through the area, and is organizing a comprehensive inspection of railway equipment and facilities.

A 7.8-magnitude quake jolted Tangshan in 1976 and killed more than 240,000 people.