On July 28th, three earthquakes of magnitude 5 or above struck successively in Xinghai County, Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Seven towns near the epicenter suffered varying degrees of damage. Additionally, due to the weather forecast predicting heavy rain and thunderstorms for the next three days in Qinghai, the loosened mountain slopes after the earthquakes are more prone to landslides, collapse, and secondary disasters.
According to data from the Mainland Earthquake Center, Qinghai experienced three earthquakes within a span of 5 hours on the 28th: 5.7 magnitude at 11:16, depth of 10 kilometers; 5.8 magnitude at 11:34, depth of 10 kilometers; and 5.0 magnitude at 16:04, depth of 10 kilometers.
The first two earthquakes occurred only 18 minutes apart, with an epicenter distance of about 1 kilometer; the third one was approximately 5 kilometers away from the morning epicenter.
Officials reported that houses and roads in seven towns of Xinghai County have suffered varying degrees of damage, but no casualties have been reported. The affected towns include Kedan, Heka, Qushian, Wenquan, Longcang, Zhongtie, and Tangnaihai.
Wenquan Township’s Duoba Village and Longcang Township’s Marimao Village are located in the epicenter area of the two main earthquakes. The villages of Shang, Zhong, and Xia in Tangnaihai Township are also close to the epicenter, experiencing strong tremors, but specific losses are yet to be confirmed by authorities.
China’s Earthquake Administration has initiated a Level Four emergency response, with experts stating that aftershocks may still occur.
Following the earthquakes in Xinghai County, Qinghai, electricity and communication systems in the county town are functioning normally. Local herdsmen captured videos of landslides and collapses in several areas, raising clouds of dust. A herdsman from Tangnaihai Township mentioned that a landslide occurred behind his home, fortunately without causing any injuries, although some ceiling materials fell. Residents of Wenquan Township also confirmed the occurrence of landslides nearby.
Qinghai’s meteorological department forecasted two rounds of heavy rainfall in the next five days (July 29th to August 2nd), with the most intense period expected from the night of July 29th to the daytime of July 30th. Key areas like Xining, Haidong, Haibei, and the northern parts of Huangnan are predicted to experience heavy to torrential rain. Accumulated rainfall is projected to reach 50 to 80 millimeters in most parts of the province, exceeding 80 to 100 millimeters in localized areas. Weather conditions may include short bursts of heavy rain, hail, thunderstorms, strong winds, and lightning.
Due to Xinghai being in the midst of continuous rainfall across the province and the loosening of mountain slopes from consecutive earthquakes, numerous areas have witnessed landslides and collapses. The official warning also highlights the high risk of mountain torrents, landslides, mudslides, urban flooding, and rising water levels in small to medium-sized rivers, as the two rounds of rainfall overlap significantly, leading to saturated soil from previous rains and an increased risk of disasters in some eastern areas.