1,500 Hongkongers report feeling tremors as 4.3 magnitude quake hits Guangdong

More than 1,500 Hong Kong residents reported feeling mild tremors on Monday evening after a magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck northern Guangdong province.

The Observatory recorded the quake at 6.48pm. Its epicentre was located in Qingyuan, about 57km (35 miles) north of Guangzhou and 180km northwest of Hong Kong, at a depth of around 10km.

The Guangdong Earthquake Agency confirmed the epicentre was in the Qingcheng district of Qingyuan city. There have been no reports of casualties or property damage.

The Observatory received more than 1,500 reports of tremors felt in Hong Kong, each lasting only a few seconds. The shaking was classified as intensity three on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, meaning it was felt indoors and resembled vibrations from passing light trucks.

Residents across Guangdong, including those in Guangzhou, Foshan and Dongguan, shared accounts of stronger shaking on social media. Some posted images showing minor cracks on highways and water in bottled containers rippling.

In Qingyuan, one online user described the sensation as “like being inside a washing machine for two seconds”, while another on the 25th floor reported clearly feeling the tremor while sitting on a sofa.