Chinese mountainous district near Beijing hit by ‘unnatural’ 2.7-magnitude earthquake
Officials say there are no reports of injuries or damage to village homes near site of tremor thought to have occurred in abandoned coal mine in Daan mountains
A mountainous district lying southwest of Beijing, which was once a coal mining area, was hit by a 2.7-magnitude “unnatural earthquake” early on Tuesday.
The government of Fangshan district, which lies about 40 km from the centre of the city, said in a statement that the tremor, which had occurred at 1.10am in the Daan mountains, was “not a natural earthquake”.
An unnamed Fangshan district press officer said it was believed the earthquake had taken place inside an abandoned coal mine in the Daan mountains, the state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The Daan mountains, which held large coal deposits, were once a mining area, but the mines were all shut down in 2011.
Beijing has sent officials to the area to investigate, the report said.
China’s earthquake monitoring network said the quake appeared to have taken place on the surface of the ground, and that it was likely to have been caused by human activities.
