NANNING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Liuzhou, a city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, early Monday, leaving three people missing and four others hospitalized, local authorities said.

The quake hit Liunan District at 0:21 a.m. at a depth of 8 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

Emergency, fire and police authorities are carrying out rescue operations. Guangxi's regional earthquake relief headquarters launched a Level-III emergency response at 2 a.m.

The office of the State Council earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level-IV emergency response on Monday and sent a work team to the affected area to support local earthquake relief efforts.

Local authorities were required to verify casualties and damage as quickly as possible, organize search and rescue operations, evacuate the affected residents, and monitor aftershocks.

A total of 51 fire and rescue vehicles and 315 personnel had been dispatched to the quake-hit area.

The China Earthquake Administration also activated a Level-III emergency response after the earthquake.