Earthquake in southwest China kills two with over 7,000 evacuated

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake in China's southwest region of Guangxi has killed two people and forced more than 7,000 to evacuate in the city of Liuzhou early on Monday as search and rescue operations continue and authorities warn of transport disruptions.

There were two confirmed deaths with one still missing, and four people were sent to the hospital, although none of them had life-threatening injuries, CCTV and state news agency Xinhua said.

Thirteen buildings collapsed in the early hours of Monday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Transportation disruptions were also flagged by railway authorities as they inspected the integrity of rail line infrastructure.

State media also reported that communication and power lines, water and gas supply, and traffic in the affected area were operating normally.

Meanwhile, rescuers in Guangxi were also searching for people missing people on Monday after a pickup truck carrying 15 passengers fell into a flooded river amid heavy rains, killing four.

More downpours are expected after heavy rains drenched central and eastern China on the weekend, lashing provinces such as Jiangxi and Hunan, weather authorities said.

"People first and life first" is the driving principle for response efforts, China's emergency management ministry said in a statement, calling for all government departments to try to prevent accidents from heavy rainfall.

The rains would gradually move eastward and southward across China over the next three days, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said, but warned of the worsening risk of mountain torrents, flooding in small and medium-sized rivers and urban waterlogging, among other threats.

The city of Jingzhou in the central province of Hubei declared measures to suspend work and business activities as part of its emergency response to flooding.

Rescuers used boats to navigate submerged streets in images broadcast by CCTV.

Daily rainfall in Yichang, also in Hubei, broke a 36-year record over the weekend, the Hubei Daily said. Authorities shut tourist sites and ordered schools to suspend outdoor classes.