According to the notification from the China Earthquake Networks Center, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake occurred near Anci District, Langfang City, Hebei Province at 1:21 am local time on Wednesday, March 26th (39.42 degrees north latitude, 116.60 degrees east longitude).
After the earthquake, internet users in Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas reported feeling the tremors.
At 1:25 am, a 2.9-magnitude aftershock struck Yongqing County in Langfang City, Hebei province (39.42 degrees north latitude, 116.57 degrees east longitude) at a depth of 15 kilometers.
Many netizens expressed being awoken from their sleep and feeling too anxious to go back to sleep. They first sensed the bed or room shaking suddenly, followed by the alert signal on their phones.
The warning advised to seek shelter promptly, stay away from hanging objects, and avoid using elevators. If indoors, seek shelter in the nearest “life triangle” area (such as a bathroom); if outdoors, move away from buildings and find an open space for safety.
The United States Geological Survey also released information about the earthquake.
A netizen from Tianjin recorded: “Around 1:22 am, I felt an earthquake of at least magnitude 3-3.5. The bed suddenly shook north to south, startled me. I realized it might be an earthquake and immediately got up to turn on the lights.”
Another user wrote: “(Location) Tianjin, was about to fall asleep when I felt the bed being forcefully bumped. Heard the living room phone alarm and realized it was an earthquake, now there’s a strong wind outside.”
A netizen from Fangshan, Beijing commented, “I was awakened by the earthquake warning in Fangshan, and the tremors were not insignificant; after two to three minutes, there was another slight shake.”
A netizen from Haidian, Beijing said: “Was working on a report when the table started trembling, then noticeably shook. Felt strong tremors on the 5th floor of Haidian.”
Netizens reported feeling the tremors in areas like Daxing District, Fengtai District, and Chaoyang District in Beijing, some were directly awakened or shaken awake.