According to the Beijing Seismological Bureau, the Chinese capital is to construct 130 earthquake monitoring stations by the end of this year. Currently the city has 70 monitoring stations. The extra monitoring stations will provide more accurate coverage for the region.
This month marks the 30th anniversary of an 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Tangshan city, in Hebei Province, about 200 kilometres east of Beijing, on July 28, 1976. The earthquake killed 240,000 people, and severely injured 160,000. China will also commemorate those who were killed in the 1966 earthquakes, that struck Xingtai Prefecture in Hebei Province claiming 8,064 lives and injuring more than 38,000 people.
