Aftershock effects minor in Ningxia

No significant seismic activity has been detected in the earthquake zone of Yinchuan and nearby areas though residents may feel the impact of aftershocks in the next few days, according to reports on the website of the Earthquake Agency of Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

After the 4.8-magnitude and 4.6-magnitude earthquakes on Thursday, multiple small seismic activities occurred in Yinchuan city, the capital of Ningxia. Among them, a 2.6-magnitude tremor occurred in Jinfeng district at 3:45 am on Friday, with a noticeable impact.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has launched a Level IV disaster-relief emergency response with a work team dispatched to assist local rescue and relief operations in the affected areas, the ministry said on its website on Thursday.

The local firefighting department sent out 105 personnel and 20 vehicles to conduct on-site assessments around the epicenter.

Additionally, two heavy and four light rescue teams, comprising 440 personnel, 86 vehicles and 13 search and rescue dogs, are on standby to support.

In response to the conditions, several trains had been delayed or slowed down to ensure passengers' safety.

Houses and other infrastructures in Yinchuan are basically safe, because the strength of these structures is enough to withstand earthquakes of around magnitude 6, said Du Peng, director of the earthquake prevention and control center at the earthquake agency of Ningxia.

However, the public should stay vigilant against injuries caused by falling objects such as hanging items and falling tiles or wall plaster, Du said.

The quakes struck Yongning county and Jinfeng district at 10:01 am and 4:43 pm respectively.

Ningxia has experienced a series of earthquakes in the area from Yongning county to Jinfeng district since September last year.

According to a joint analysis by the Ningxia Earthquake Agency and the China Earthquake Networks Center, it was the unique geological conditions of the faulted basin in Yinchuan, with its thick sediment layers, that further intensified the tremors' impact felt by residents.

Guo Yanqi contributed to this story.