May 23, 2001 Earthquake: Yanyuan, Ninglang, Sichuan, Yunnan, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Yanyuan, Ninglang, Sichuan, Yunnan, China on May 23, 2001 at 21:10:43 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 2 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- May 23, 2001
- Time
- 21:10:43 UTC
- Place
- Yanyuan, Ninglang, Sichuan, Yunnan, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 27.689° N, 101.003° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 605
- Damage
- $36 million
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
One person killed, 27 seriously injured and 539 slightly injured in Ninglang County, Yunnan Province. One person killed
and 39 injured in Yanyuan County, Sichuan Province.
Eleven reservoirs, 4 power plants and 6 bridges
damaged. (reference #1053)
$36 million damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 12, 1850, Xichang, Sichuan, China
- May 25, 1751, Yunnan Province, China
- February 3, 1996, Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China
- June 14, 1688, Yunnan Province, China
- June 27, 1948, Yunnan Province, China
- April 2, 814, Xichang, Sichuan Province, China
- June 17, 1515, Heqing, Yunnan Province, China
- August 7, 1878, Yunnan Province, China
- August 30, 2008, Sichuan Province, China
- July 21, 2003, Yunnan Province, China
- October 14, 1925, Yunnan Province, China
- August 1902, Yunnan Province, China
- November 19, 1998, Huaping, Lijiang, Ninglag, Sichuan Province, China
- August 31, 2013, Benzilan, Yunnan Province, China
- June 24, 2012, Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 2001The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2001Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5598.