MORE than 100 people were killed in an overnight earthquake in China’s northwest Gansu province, state media reported today.

Scores more were injured in the province after the strong, shallow earthquake struck, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the provincial earthquake relief headquarters.

According to CCTV, 11 people were also killed and more than 100 injured in the city of Haidong in the neighbouring province of Qinghai.

Rescue work was under way early today, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for “all-out efforts” in the search and relief work.

The quake, which was logged as magnitude 5.9 by the US Geological Survey, struck in Gansu province near the border with Qinghai province, where Haidong is located.

Xinhua reported the quake as magnitude 6.2.

Power and water supplies were disrupted in some local villages, Xinhua said.

Fallen ceilings and other debris could be seen in videos posted on social media.

The earthquake struck at a depth of 10km at 11.59pm local time Monday (1559 GMT), according to the USGS, which revised the magnitude downward after initially reporting 6.0.

Officials launched an emergency response and dispatched rescue personnel to the area just after the quake, and provincial leaders were also en route, Xinhua reported.

According to USGS, the quake occurred some 100km southwest of Gansu province’s capital, Lanzhou, and was followed by several smaller aftershocks.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in China. In August, a shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern China, injuring 23 people and collapsing dozens of buildings. – AFP, December 19, 2023.