Beijing/IBNS/UNI: At least 21 people were injured as a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck the county of Pingyuan, in Dezhou City of east China's Shandong province Sunday.

A total of 126 buildings in the earthquake zone collapsed, while the transportation, communication, and power supply there were normal, and no leak was discovered in oil and gas pipelines, according to local authorities.

More than 20 trains to depart from Beijing, Tianjin, and Cangzhou were halted and some 30 trains by way of Shijiazhuang-Jinan High-speed Railway were halted as well, according to China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd.

Local authorities have launched an emergency response to organize rescue and assess possible risks.