6.2-magnitude China earthquake kills 116 in Gansu and Qinghai provinces
Guwahati: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocked northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces that have till now killed 116 people, state media reported.
According to Global Times 105 died in the province of Gansu and another 11 in neighbouring Qinghai province in the earthquake, which occurred late on Monday night.
Search and rescue operations were underway in Gansu province and Qinghai province of China.
The massive earthquake left more than 230 people injured, damaged houses and roads, and knocked out power and communication lines, according to the media reports that have surfaced.
The United States Geological Survey said earlier that a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in the area had caused severe shaking, with extensive economic damage probable and likely widespread. Chinese authorities gave a slightly higher reading of 6.2-magnitude.
The earthquake struck around 23 miles west-northwest of Linxia Chengguanzhen with a shallow depth of just over 6 miles, according to the USGS. The provincial capital of Lanzhou is about 60 miles away from the epicenter.
