China activates emergency response after quake strikes southwest China's Sichuan

BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The China Earthquake Administration has initiated a Level-III emergency response on Monday after an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 jolted Gaoxian County, Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake occurred at 0:12 a.m. Monday (Beijing Time). The epicenter was monitored at 28.50 degrees north latitude and 104.69 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 6 km.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.