21 injured, buildings collapse as earthquake hits eastern China

A shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern China in the early hours of Sunday, the United States Geological (USGS) said.

Survey State media said at least 21 people were injured and dozens of buildings collapsed.

The quake, which struck at 2.33 am, hit 26km south of the city of Dezhou, in Shandong province, at a depth of 10km, USGS said.

It was the strongest to hit the province in more than a decade, state-run publication Global Times said.

The quake was felt as far away as Beijing and Tianjin, as well as in Shanghai, about 800km from the epicentre.

Videos on social media show shaking light fixtures, trembling ground and people evacuating their buildings, with one clip showing people walking past bricks that were scattered on the ground.